Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
POLICE in Bulawayo have dealt a heavy blow to the drug underworld after intercepting a vehicle loaded with illegal cough syrup worth thousands of dollars.
However, the driver made a daring escape and is still on the run.
The dramatic bust occurred on 15 September when alert officers deployed on an anti-smuggling operation stopped a Toyota Hilux along Solusi Road. Inside, they discovered 1 536 bottles of banned cough syrup.
In a statement, Bulawayo police confirmed the seizure:
“The ZRP intercepted a Toyota Hilux and recovered 239 x 100ml bottles of Benylin cough syrup and 1 297 x 100ml bottles of Broncleer cough syrup. The driver, identified as Malvin Ncube (36), fled the scene and is currently being pursued.”
According to health experts, these particular cough syrups are classified as illegal substances because they contain codeine, a highly addictive opioid. When abused, codeine causes a powerful high similar to morphine, leading to respiratory failure, liver damage, seizures and even death.
“This is not just cough medicine. It is a gateway drug that destroys young lives,” said a source within the National Drug and Substance Abuse Taskforce.
The government has been cracking down on such substances under the Zimbabwe National Drug Master Plan, a comprehensive strategy launched to curb drug and substance abuse. Over the past year, police and other agencies have stepped up raids on drug syndicates, carried out public awareness campaigns, and tightened border controls.
Recent reports show a significant rise in drug seizures across the country, proof that authorities are making progress in the fight.
“Every bottle we take off the streets is a life saved,” Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, always says. “We urge communities to report these dealers before more youths fall victim to this poison.”
Meanwhile, police have launched a manhunt for Ncube, who faces charges of smuggling and possession of dangerous drugs.
As the fight against drugs intensifies, police are warning traffickers that Zimbabwe will not be a playground for peddlers of death in a bottle.
