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Smugglers abandon vehicle, contraband in police chase
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Police in Manicaland have impounded an abandoned Honda Fit packed with smuggled bales of second-hand clothes following a high-speed chase involving an anti-smuggling crack team on June 23, 2025.
The vehicle, a blue Honda Fit with registration number AEE 0342, was intercepted in Greenside, Mutare, after it lost control at a road intersection and crashed into a tree. The occupants fled the scene and have not yet been apprehended.
Manicaland Provincial Acting Police Spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, confirmed the incident in a statement to The Midweek Watch, saying the vehicle was transporting nine bales of clothing believed to have been smuggled from Mozambique through an illegal entry point.
"On June 23, 2025, at around 1700hrs, an anti-smuggling crack team deployed in Manicaland Province received intelligence that a blue Honda Fit was en route to Sakubva, carrying a contraband of second-hand clothes," said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.
Police said the car was being tracked along suspected smuggling routes when the team received a tip-off about an accident at an intersection in Greenside. Upon arrival, they found the vehicle abandoned and fully loaded with the illicit goods.
The car and the contraband have since been surrendered to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and may be used as evidence in future court proceedings.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka appealed to members of the public with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects to report to the nearest police station.
The incident underscores the continued challenge Zimbabwean authorities face in controlling smuggling along porous border routes with Mozambique, especially in Manicaland where second-hand clothing is often trafficked into local markets.
The vehicle, a blue Honda Fit with registration number AEE 0342, was intercepted in Greenside, Mutare, after it lost control at a road intersection and crashed into a tree. The occupants fled the scene and have not yet been apprehended.
Manicaland Provincial Acting Police Spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, confirmed the incident in a statement to The Midweek Watch, saying the vehicle was transporting nine bales of clothing believed to have been smuggled from Mozambique through an illegal entry point.
"On June 23, 2025, at around 1700hrs, an anti-smuggling crack team deployed in Manicaland Province received intelligence that a blue Honda Fit was en route to Sakubva, carrying a contraband of second-hand clothes," said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.
The car and the contraband have since been surrendered to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and may be used as evidence in future court proceedings.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka appealed to members of the public with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects to report to the nearest police station.
The incident underscores the continued challenge Zimbabwean authorities face in controlling smuggling along porous border routes with Mozambique, especially in Manicaland where second-hand clothing is often trafficked into local markets.
Source - Midweek
