Police intercept 6.7 tonnes of mbanje in Manicaland trucks
Police and revenue officers in Manicaland intercepted two trucks carrying a total of 6.7 tonnes of mbanje: 4.7 tonnes at a roadblock on the Nyanga-Nyamapanda Road, where four Harare men were arrested, and over two tonnes from Malawi hidden in a false compartment at Forbes Border Post, whose driver fled.
🇿🇼 Nyanga-Nyamapanda Road and Forbes Border Post, Manicaland · Zimbabwe
Police in Manicaland intercepted two trucks ferrying a total of 6.7 tonnes of marijuana (mbanje), believed to have been smuggled from neighbouring countries.[1]A haulage truck carrying 4.7 tonnes was stopped on the Nyanga-Nyamapanda Road, while another with over two tonnes was stopped by Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officers after leaving Forbes Border Post near Mutare.[1]
The Forbes truck was coming from Malawi and headed for Zimbabwe, and its driver disappeared after declaring the container empty; officers found the marijuana hidden in a specially created false compartment.[1]At a roadblock at the 75 km peg on the Nyanga-Nyamapanda Road, police found 53 90 kg bags of mbanje in a containerised truck and arrested Dennis Chikumba, Farai Biziki, Mario July and Aswell Marange, all of Harare, who were travelling in a Toyota Toyoace, registration AFD 5997, for drug trafficking.[1]National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
The whole account rests on one newspaper report of the police and Zimra statements, as no second outlet's account of these interceptions could be opened.
The report dates the Nyanga roadblock seizure to both a Wednesday around midnight and, in the police spokesman's quote, 12 January at 2300hrs, so 15 January is an approximate date for the two interceptions together.
No trial outcome was reported for the four men charged with drug trafficking, and the driver who fled the Forbes truck was not named.
The article's photograph could not be verified as showing these interceptions, so no media is listed.
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