Eight-tonne contraband intercepted at border post

Wednesday, 06 July 2011 02:00

Beitbridge Bureau Chief 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. The arrest brings to nine the number of people who have been arrested for dealing with copper cables around the border town. 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. "We are on high alert to deal with such criminals and we want to warn them that their days are numbered," he said. "On this particular case 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 we 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. "We have since charged them with one count of contravening a section of the copper and a section of the customs and excise acts respectively. They will soon appear in court," he said. Supt Manhai raised concern over the increase in cases of smuggling of copper and cigarettes adding that police were out in full force. He added that they had re-arrested notorious copper cables thief, Roswell Pfaira on other charges of copper cables which were stolen along the Bulawayo Beitbridge road recently. Pfaira had just been fined US$4 000 by a Beitbridge magistrate after he was found stealing 900kg of electricity cables worth US$13,500 at the 12,5 km peg along the Beitbridge Masvingo highway.