Harare-Three suspected drug dealers who were nabbed this week with marijuana and liqour worth more than USD500 00 have appeared in court this Wednesday.The trio have been remanded in custody awaiting bail hearing set for Thursday 13 March,Express Mail Zim can report.
The accused persons are Lloyd Matamba (35), Michael Alfaneta (40) and Justice Mahope (42).
Allegations are that on March 9, 2025, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics Harare received a tip off that Matamba, who is a salesmen at the premises in Msasa , was involved in illicit drug dealings.
Armed with the information the detectives proceeded to the warehouse located in Msasa Industrial area where they conducted surveillance.
According to court papers, while at premises, the detectives approached the accused persons at Bay 8 of a warehouse whose door was open and identified themselves.
They informed the accused persons about their mission and requested to conduct a search at the premises.
The accused person consented to the search.
The accused were further interviewed and
Magamba implicated Alfaneta, who in turn implicated Mahope, who pointed fingers to liquor delivery firms Ameyang Holdings and Wild Gherkin.
Mahope did not provide full details so the police could check if the companies indeed existed.
The detectives conducted a search at the premises and discovered various stocks of liquor brands covering part of the whole floor in the room.
The accused were requested to produce a liquor Iicense for the said premise, but they failed.
The court heard that searches were further conducted in the warehouses, leading to the discovery of 12 tonne sacks of loose dagga hidden behind numerous stalks of dried dagga plants.
Further searches were conducted, leading to the seizure of 30 polythene plastics of loose dagga.
The accused persons failed to produce a valid licence or permit to justify the sale of liquor and the unlawful possession of the dagga at their premises.
They were instantly arrested and the exhibits seized before being taken to CID Drugs and Narcotics Harare office.
A preliminary field test was carried out on the seized drugs in the presence of the accused person and it tested positive to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
The seized dagga weighed 4 580kgs with a street value of the US$549 000.
The value of the liquor is approximately US$50 000.
The police’s continued efforts underscore the growing resolve to combat the widespread issue of drug and substance abuse in the country.
