Botswana police concerned about alcohol, cigarettes smuggling from Zimbabwe

By mmegi.bw

BOTSWANA: Police at the Dibete barrier gate have expressed concern over an increase of cases of smuggled alcohol and cigarettes from Zimbabwe.

Dibete police station commander, superintendent Meshack Ranku said they register such cases on a daily basis, an indication that there is a market for the smuggled products in Botswana.

“We are currently investigating two cases in which a 48-year-old and 34-year-old Zimbabwean men were caught with cartoons of Chelsea cigarette and whisky bottles which they failed to account for in a cross-border bus that was traveling from Zimbabwe to Gaborone on Thursday,” he said.

Ranku said the 48-year-old man was in possession of 25 cartoons of undeclared Chelsea brand cigarettes.

Another man had 90 bottles of whiskey and 60 bottles of brandy.

“We have since seized the undeclared goods and which have been forfeited by the state after the duo paid P1,000 each as admission of guilt,” Ranku said.