News / National
Four copper cables smugglers arrested at Beitbridge border post
06 Jul 2011 at 13:22hrs | Views
THE Police Border Control and Minerals Unit has intercepted eight tonnes of copper cables worth thousands of dollars that were being smuggled into South Africa through Beitbridge Border Post and arrested four suspects in connection with smuggling.
Ruth Jambwa (47), Alice Nyamurenye (39) of Kwekwe, Moreblessing Mugota (32) and Douglas Hamauswa both of Harare were arrested at Beitbridge Border Post aboard a Musanhi Investments Crossborder bus at around 9pm on Friday. The quartet is now charged with contravening a section of the Copper Control and the Customs and Excise Act respectively.
The police officer commanding crime in Beitbridge district, Superintendent Conrad Manhai confirmed the arrests yesterday adding that investigations were underway. Supt Manhai said the value of the contraband was yet to be ascertained.
Police detectives got a tip off that there were people intending to smuggle stolen copper cables out of the country through Beitbridge border post.
Acting on the tip off police then teamed up with officers from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) and intercepted the bus when it was about to leave Beitbridge border post for South Africa at the exit gate.
The bus, Supt Manhai said, was then taken for physical examination by Zimra through scanning. It was then discovered that 8 000kg of copper were in the trailer. The four were then interrogated and that's when it was discovered that they had not declared the copper cables and they also had no authority to deal with the copper.
They were in turn arrested and the bus and the contraband were subsequently seized by Zimra.
Ruth Jambwa (47), Alice Nyamurenye (39) of Kwekwe, Moreblessing Mugota (32) and Douglas Hamauswa both of Harare were arrested at Beitbridge Border Post aboard a Musanhi Investments Crossborder bus at around 9pm on Friday. The quartet is now charged with contravening a section of the Copper Control and the Customs and Excise Act respectively.
The police officer commanding crime in Beitbridge district, Superintendent Conrad Manhai confirmed the arrests yesterday adding that investigations were underway. Supt Manhai said the value of the contraband was yet to be ascertained.
Acting on the tip off police then teamed up with officers from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) and intercepted the bus when it was about to leave Beitbridge border post for South Africa at the exit gate.
The bus, Supt Manhai said, was then taken for physical examination by Zimra through scanning. It was then discovered that 8 000kg of copper were in the trailer. The four were then interrogated and that's when it was discovered that they had not declared the copper cables and they also had no authority to deal with the copper.
They were in turn arrested and the bus and the contraband were subsequently seized by Zimra.
Source - th
