A Gwanda-based detective and his alleged female accomplice were arrested on Saturday along the Beitbridge–Masvingo Highway after they were found transporting marijuana and banned cough syrup believed to have been smuggled from South Africa.
Leonard Mashava (35) and Oprah Nomagugu Ndavambi (27) were arrested on 3 January at the Bubi security checkpoint during a routine anti-smuggling operation while travelling towards Masvingo.
The pair appeared before Beitbridge Regional Magistrate Charity Maphosa on Monday, charged with contravening the Criminal Law (Reform and Codification) Act and the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act. They were remanded in custody until 19 January.
Prosecutor Willbrought Muleya told the court that at around 4 pm on 3 January, the two were travelling in a silver Toyota Hilux near the Lion and Elephant Motel, about 80 kilometres along the Beitbridge–Masvingo Road.
The vehicle, driven by Mashava with Ndavambi in the passenger seat, was stopped at a National Task Force roadblock for a routine search. Officers found seven boxes containing 155 cobs of marijuana wrapped in black plastic.
Further searches uncovered another 14 boxes, also wrapped in black plastic, containing 1,050 bottles of 100ml Astra Pain cough syrup and 1,600 bottles of 100ml Broncleer cough syrup.
The unregistered medicines are estimated to be worth US$13,250, while the value of the seized marijuana has not yet been established. All the contraband was seized by the police.
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