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Malayitsha's $3.6 million mbanje bust - latest
17 Sep 2014 at 05:18hrs | Views
BULAWAYO police on Monday seized 510 kilogrammes of cannabis (mbanje) with a street value of $3.6 million that was allegedly smuggled from South Africa.
Two people have been arrested over the drug find, whose final destination is thought to have been the United Kingdom.
Victor Ndlovu, a cross-border public transport driver, was arrested in Magwegwe West suburb on Monday and a second suspect, Steven Becker, was arrested in Harare yesterday.
Police investigators believe Ndlovu intended to hand over the drugs to Becker, who in turn would forward the illicit consignment to an unnamed third party, thought to be in the United Kingdom.
Ndlovu was offloading goods from the trailer of a Toyota Quantum at a house in Magwegwe West before embarking on his journey to Harare when eight police officers on foot patrol in the area asked to look at his load and confirm if it was cleared by customs at the Beitbridge border.
Police sources last night said Ndlovu was able to account for all the goods save for seven huge bags which were locked.
Suspicious, the police officers forced open one bag - Ndlovu said he had not been given the keys - and discovered it contained high grade compressed cannabis covered with clothes.
"He told the police that he had no idea what was in the bags. He explained to the police that the bags were supposed to be delivered to someone in Harare. His only job was to deliver the bags," sources close to the investigation told Chronicle.
CID detectives took over the investigation and travelled with Ndlovu to Harare on Monday night where a trap was laid for Becker, who was promptly arrested when he turned up to pick up the drugs.
Police sources say the cannabis seized was "rarely seen" on the local market, adding credence to a claim by Becker, who insists he was unaware the package was cannabis, that he had been told to forward it to an individual in the United Kingdom.
"We're talking about high grade, treated and compressed mbanje that certainly doesn't appear to have been prepared for the local market. We've estimated it's value at $3,6 million.
You rarely see that here," said a seasoned CID detective familiar with the investigation.
In the UK and the United States, a gramme of cannabis costs upwards of $13.
Bulawayo's top cop Senior Assistant Commissioner Stephen Mutamba, who was in Harare yesterday, and the national police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi, said they had not been briefed on the drug arrests.
Ndlovu's brother, Ndaba, last night confirmed he had been seized by investigators.
"I don't know why they took him away. They just took him away. I witnessed the incident, but the police never asked me anything. The police just came and took him, we haven't heard from him yet," he said.
Ndaba added that he was in Harare, but insisted that his journey had nothing to do with his brother's arrest.
The biggest mbanje finds in recent years include 2,140kgs of cannabis which were intercepted by police officers in Mabvuku, Harare, in February last year. A month earlier, police in Southerton, Harare, had also busted a man with 2,000kgs of the drug.
Two people have been arrested over the drug find, whose final destination is thought to have been the United Kingdom.
Victor Ndlovu, a cross-border public transport driver, was arrested in Magwegwe West suburb on Monday and a second suspect, Steven Becker, was arrested in Harare yesterday.
Police investigators believe Ndlovu intended to hand over the drugs to Becker, who in turn would forward the illicit consignment to an unnamed third party, thought to be in the United Kingdom.
Ndlovu was offloading goods from the trailer of a Toyota Quantum at a house in Magwegwe West before embarking on his journey to Harare when eight police officers on foot patrol in the area asked to look at his load and confirm if it was cleared by customs at the Beitbridge border.
Police sources last night said Ndlovu was able to account for all the goods save for seven huge bags which were locked.
Suspicious, the police officers forced open one bag - Ndlovu said he had not been given the keys - and discovered it contained high grade compressed cannabis covered with clothes.
"He told the police that he had no idea what was in the bags. He explained to the police that the bags were supposed to be delivered to someone in Harare. His only job was to deliver the bags," sources close to the investigation told Chronicle.
CID detectives took over the investigation and travelled with Ndlovu to Harare on Monday night where a trap was laid for Becker, who was promptly arrested when he turned up to pick up the drugs.
"We're talking about high grade, treated and compressed mbanje that certainly doesn't appear to have been prepared for the local market. We've estimated it's value at $3,6 million.
You rarely see that here," said a seasoned CID detective familiar with the investigation.
In the UK and the United States, a gramme of cannabis costs upwards of $13.
Bulawayo's top cop Senior Assistant Commissioner Stephen Mutamba, who was in Harare yesterday, and the national police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi, said they had not been briefed on the drug arrests.
Ndlovu's brother, Ndaba, last night confirmed he had been seized by investigators.
"I don't know why they took him away. They just took him away. I witnessed the incident, but the police never asked me anything. The police just came and took him, we haven't heard from him yet," he said.
Ndaba added that he was in Harare, but insisted that his journey had nothing to do with his brother's arrest.
The biggest mbanje finds in recent years include 2,140kgs of cannabis which were intercepted by police officers in Mabvuku, Harare, in February last year. A month earlier, police in Southerton, Harare, had also busted a man with 2,000kgs of the drug.
Source - chronicle
