admin
intercepted along the Masvingo-Gweru Highway last week after police received a tip-off, leading to the arrest of three people, who were ferrying the contraband to unknown locations in Gweru, Kwekwe and Bulawayo.
Two of those arrested were truck drivers Rodgers Nhema of Chikanga suburb in Mutare and Luckmore Mudede from the same suburb.
Their accomplice Shadrach Kumbeya from Dangamvura Township in the eastern border city was also arrested.
Masvingo police spokesman Inspector Tineyi Matake said the driver of one of the two Hino haulage trucks carrying the second hand clothes tried to crash into a police vehicle that was giving chase along the Masvingo-Gweru Highway to avoid arrest.
“We recovered 228 bales of second hand clothes that were destined for Bulawayo, Gweru and Kwekwe after being smuggled from Mozambique and the bales and the two haulage trucks were surrendered to Zimra, while the two truck drivers and their accomplice are in custody and will appear in court soon facing charges of smuggling,” said Inspector Matake.
Insp Matake said they were still investigating to establish whether the suspects might be part of a larger syndicate that might be illegally bringing bales of second hand clothing into the country mainly from Mozambique.
On the day in question, police received a tip off that there were two Gweru-bound Hino haulage trucks stashed with bales of second hand clothing.
They intercepted the two trucks near Chartsworth.Nhema, who was driving the truck allegedly disembarked after discovering that police were closing in on him, but was arrested after police gave chase.
They recovered 213 bales of second hand clothes in his truck.
Police then followed the second truck that was being driven by Mudede, resulting in a highway speed chase.
Sensing that he was being cornered Mudede tried to smash the chasing police car with his truck, forcing police to fire shots that deflated the tyres of his truck.
Police then managed to arrest Mudede and Kumbeya after recovering 15 bales of second hand clothes in their truck.
Online Reporter