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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Two South Africa-based truck drivers have been fined R15 000 (about $1 252) each for smuggling Broncleer, commonly known as “Bronco”, and an assortment of flea market wares worth R150 000 (about $13 000) into the country through the Beitbridge Border Post.

Broncleer is a cough mixture, which has become a popular hallucination inducement drug, among drunkards in many countries.

The duo – Abjay Matabeya (29) and Priviledge Dhliwayo – are employed by Lionsden Freight (Pvt) Ltd of No. 17 Pamona Road in South Africa.

The drivers were contracted by Amos Gura of Marlborough in Harare to ship the contraband into Zimbabwe.

Matabeya and Dhliwayo were convicted on their own plea of guilty to a joint charge of smuggling when they appeared before Beitbridge resident magistrate Miss Gloria Takundwa.

They risk imprisonment for three months should they fail to pay the fine.

The smuggled goods were forfeited to the State as part of the sentence.

Charges against their alleged accomplice Taurai Chaikosa, a Beitbridge-based customs clearing agent, were withdrawn after plea, for lack of incriminating evidence.

Chaikosa had earlier been arrested for facilitating the smuggling of the consignment using recycled customs documents.

Charges are that on April 29, Gura bought an assortment of goods including 2 000 boxes of Frimax chips which he loaded into a South African truck, which was being driven by Matebeya, who was being assisted by Dhliwayo.

He then contracted Chaikosa to facilitate the importation of the consignment to Zimbabwe.

Upon reaching Beitbridge Border Post on May 3, the duo did not declare the goods they were carrying and instead used recycled customs documents to import the contraband.

They were intercepted by alert police detectives when they were about to leave the border post, who then referred the truck to the Zimra Container Depot for physical examination.

A total of 1 578 boxes of Frimax chips, 797 boxes by 50 of Broncleer, 1 051 pairs of shoes, one box with handbags, one box with cosmetics, three boxes with undergarments, 12 boxes of satchels, two bales of satchels, two bales of handbags and four bales of hats worth $149 784,72 were in the container.

The accused persons were then asked to produce customs clearing documents and failed, but produced recycled documents, resulting in their arrest.

The State stood to lose $30 927 in revenue.

Meanwhile, a Harare man believed to have facilitated the illegal entry of hundreds of people into the country has been arrested.

David Mazanga was arrested on April 21 after a trap was set for him at the Immigration Department’s headquarters in the city.

This came after he attempted to apply for permits for five Nigerians on the pretext that they were coming into the country for a workshop.

Assistant Regional Immigration Officer Mr Francis Mabika yesterday confirmed the arrest.

“The suspect has since appeared before the courts and was fined $200 or 60 days in prison,” he said.

Sometime in April, Mazanga approached the department and applied for visas for the five Nigerians alleging that they were coming into the country to attend a workshop at a local hotel between April 16 and 29.

Officials from the department checked with the local hotel and discovered that no such event had been booked.

They became suspicious, resulting in a trap being set for Mazanga.