30 nabbed in Ximex Mall raid

of illegal activities for many years and authorities seem to have turned a blind eye.  
Harare provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tadious Chibanda, confirmed the arrests and admitted that the force was facing challenges in controlling the hotspot.
“We arrested 30 suspects and we charged them with obstruction before releasing them after paying admission of guilt fines of between US$10 and US$20 each,” he said. Insp Chibanda said the illegal dealers resurface at the mall after paying the fines. “This is a problem because they come back soon after paying the fines,” he said. “It is also difficult for police to enforce the law as some of the people at the mall are genuine businesspeople.”
Insp Chibanda said police were doing everything in their capacity to deal with the issue and bring back sanity to the shopping complex.
“We will find ways of addressing this problem and as we speak, we have a team on the ground. We will not stop until we clean up the area,” he said.
Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Leslie Gwindi said the mall was fast becoming a chaotic place.
“We are aware of the deals that are happening there, the people there have become a law unto themselves,” he said.
“As part of our exercise, we are going to bring sanity to the place.”
Mr Gwindi said Harare’s City Health Department would soon descend on the premises to inspect the facilities.
Ximex Mall is located in the CBD and has become the hub of illegal activities that range from the sale of minerals to dangerous drugs, forex and stolen property.