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NewsDay

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Police breathe fire over airport smuggling

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Police were yesterday breathing fire over the handling of an airport smuggling scandal implicating several police, army, National Handling Services (NHS) and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officers.

Police were yesterday breathing fire over the handling of an airport smuggling scandal implicating several police, army, National Handling Services (NHS) and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officers.

SILENCE CHARUMBIRA

National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba told NewsDay that police were only alerted a day after passengers also involved in the scandal had been released.

US-cargo-jet-stowaway-at-Harare-International-Airport

She said eight of the suspects included four NHS officers, one army officer and three police officers were expected to appear in court today after they were arrested for aiding the smuggling 29 bags of cellphones belonging to several passengers of a Kenyan Airways flight.

Reports say one of the four bags confiscated had 600 cellphones. But the syndicate reportedly left with four bags in a Toyota Corolla vehicle belonging to one army officer.

The passengers who had gotten off a Kenyan Airways flight on Friday with about 30 bags.

CAAZ spokesperson Anna Julia Hungwe yesterday said she did not have any other information apart from what was already in the news referring all questions to the police and the permanent secretary in the ministry of transport Munesuishe Munodawafa who was said to be in a meeting.

“Whenever there is suspicion of an offence having been committed people should always alert the police who are mandated to investigate. There is no one above the law. Whoever breaks the law, it does not matter who they are they should be held accountable. In this case the police were only told a day later,” Charamba said.

“We have internal mechanisms to deal with errant where police officers are dealt with under the police act.”