Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
POLICE in Harare have busted an illicit alcoholic beverage manufacturing company in the Southerton area and recovered alcohol worth US$920 000.
They have since arrested four foreigners and 42 employees.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests.
He said on Tuesday, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics received information that the suspects were manufacturing illicit alcohol popularly known as tumbwa.
“They visited the production plant at number 1 Brodie Avenue, Sotherton Harare, where they discovered that the manufacturing process was also in poor or unhygienic condition, with floors, tanks, machine surfaces and parts in contact with food processes and walls visibly dirty. The 42 workers did not have food handler medical certificates for the elimination of communicable disease and risked contamination of the manufacturing process, prompting their arrest.”
The suspects failed to produce food premises sanitary certificates.
The suspects are allegedly to have been manufacturing labels to brand their products on alcohol such as Bouncer Vodka, Kitoko Brandy, Challenger GIN, 8PM Whisky, Royal 69 Liquor, Sixer Banana Spirit and Ice Cane Spirit.
They were mixing these brands with ethanol and different flavourings.
According to police, the alcohol content declared on the packaging was not substantiated by way of assay reports from the Government analyst.
