Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
IN a dramatic roadside showdown worthy of a crime thriller, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics pounced on a cross-border bus at a Mutoko police checkpoint on 31 March 2025, nabbing THREE conductors in possession of a shocking stash of illicit drugs.
Reason Gatahwa (46) and Jarmain Fredricks (48), along with passenger Melody Shambira (35), were busted with a staggering consignment: 46 boxes of Broncleer Cough Syrup, two boxes of Salterpyn, and 15 kilogrammes of dagga — all valued at a street estimate of USD11 100.
The syrupy cocktail of Broncleer, a codeine-based cough mixture, has long been linked to the drug abuse wave gripping Zimbabwe’s youth, making this seizure a significant blow to local street-level distribution.
Meanwhile, in a separate blitz just days later on 4 April 2025, police arrested Obey Kaseke (38) at a house along Brooks Drive in the leafy suburb of Hillside, Harare. Found in his possession were party drugs Mandrax, Ecstasy and yet more dagga, further highlighting the growing menace of synthetic and organic narcotics infiltrating urban centres.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul confirmed the arrests and issued a stark warning to would-be traffickers: “We remain committed to flushing out drug peddlers from our communities. There will be no safe haven for criminals.”
These arrests form part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown under the banner #NoToDrugAndSubstanceAbuse, as authorities intensify efforts to dismantle Zimbabwe’s underground drug networks.
