Police set up an Anti smuggling special wing on the Copperbelt

Police set up an Anti smuggling special wing on the Copperbelt

Ndola, March 27, 2013, ZANIS – The Police Service on the Copperbelt has set up a special operations wing to counter the rampant smuggling of mealie meal and other commodities across the borders.

Assistant Staff Officer for Kitwe Joseph Chitambo revealed this during a meeting with Agriculture Deputy Minister Rodgers Mwewa in Ndola today.

Mr. Chitambo told Mr. Mwewa that police were not in the border town to harass the people but that they were working hard to ensure that mealie meal was available in the province.

who visited the province to check on the roaming shortage of mealie meal that police have seized over 24, 000 by 25kg bags of mealie meal and other assorted goods.

The special operations wing has since commenced operations and has so far seized various goods which include 24, 579 by 25kg bags of mealie meal, 282 by 50kg bags of sugar, 44 by 20liters of cooking oil and ten by five crates of Simba beer all destined for DRC.

And Zambia Revenue Authority officer Levy Simantimbe at Kasumbalesa told Mr Mwewa that the border was to porous that people managed to smuggle goods into DRC without passing through ZRA offices.

And Agriculture Deputy Minister Mr Mwewa expressed shock to see stocks and stocks of 25 Kilogramme bags of mealie meal at Kasumbalesa Border when the rest of the towns in the province had no mealie meal.

Mr Mwewa however warned that government will not spear anyone found smuggling in mealie meal but will ensure that the law takes it course on those found wanting.