Harare, (New Ziana) – Three men, Raymond Mutinha (48) from waterfalls, Tafadzwa Pulawu (36) and Cosmas Mamu (35) from Chirundu, have been convicted of contravening the Customs and Excise Act for smuggling goods into the country.
On September 23, Mutinha imported new clothes and milk from Zambia; packing the clothes into three bales.
He then hired Pulawu to smuggle the goods through the Zambezi river at night, with the help of Mamu, a taxi driver, using his Toyota Ipsum.
The trio’s smuggling attempt was discovered and monitored by members of the Zimbabwe National Army, who alerted the police, leading to the arrest of the trio.
The smuggled goods were recovered, with the state prejudiced of ZWL29 676.49 in revenue. The Karoi magistrate court fined the trio US$150 or two months imprisonment.
The recovered goods were forfeited to the state. Separately, Cuthbert Muvonga, a 25-year-old resident of Chirundu, was fined for smuggling beer from Zambia to Zimbabwe.
According to court records, Muvonga was intercepted by police detectives at a service station in Chirundu on September 10 after a tip off.
A search of Muvonga’s possessions revealed a large quantity of undeclared beer, including 4 boxes of 330 ml Heineken beer, 6 boxes of 330ml Windhoek beer and 10 boxes of 330ml Castle Lite beer.
Muvonga failed to provide documentation showing that the goods were declared, leading to his arrest and seizure of the goods.
Muvonga was sentenced to pay a fine of US$200 or two months imprisonment by the Karoi magistrate court. The smuggled goods were forfeited to the state.
New Ziana
