Woman caught, trying to smuggle drugs from South Africa to Zimbabwe

IN a daring cross-border smuggling operation gone wrong, a 27-year-old woman from Dulibadzimu, Beitbridge was arrested by authorities for allegedly smuggling a stash of dagga and cough syrup within blankets and sacks on a bus which was en route to Harare from South Africa.

In a statement on X, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said, “Allegations are that on the 10th of September 2024, the accused person acquired dagga in Messina, South Africa and illegally imported it into the country concealed in blankets stashed in sacks. She contacted a bus crew and informed them of her intention to send some goods to Harare. The bus conductor allowed her to load the goods. On the same night, police officers on patrol inspected the bus using sniffer dogs and detected drugs in the boot. They recovered 53 cobs of dagga concealed among the blankets. They also recovered 5 litres of Broncleer cough syrup concealed in one of the sacks valued at US$300. The conductor told the police officers that the sacks belonged to the accused person, leading to her arrest. The dagga weighed 103.716kg with a street value of US$10 371.”

The woman was remanded in custody until 1 October 2024