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Senior Court Reporter 

THE State has dropped charges against Duncan Andrew Wadley and Vimbai Dzingirai who were recently arrested for possessing 52 crocodile skins worth US$78 000.

According to the State, it turned out that the two are licence holders who are allowed to deal in the skins.

The charges were withdrawn before plea when they appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Tafadzwa Miti. 

It was alleged that on March 27, detectives from CID Minerals Flora and Fauna Unit in Harare heard that Dzingirai was in possession of the crocodile skins at her Mabelreign residence without a valid permit. 

Detectives went to Dzingai place to make verifications and discovered 52 crocodile skins stashed in six white sacks. 

They asked her to produce a permit authorising her to be in possession of crocodile skins, to no avail. 

She then implicated Wadley, who was in Masvingo, as the owner of the skins and the one in possession of the permit. 

Detectives recovered the crocodile skins and took them to their offices pending production of the required permit. 

A Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority official assessed the skins and confirmed them to be crocodile skins and valued at US$78 000.