Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Police in Victoria Falls have arrested a safari camp manager after he was found with a huge stash of illegal drugs and equipment the police believe was used to manufacture some of the narcotics.
Cornelious Smit (62), A Mabalengwa Safaris camp manager, was arrested on Thursday after he was found with dagga and cannabis oil, among other drugs, Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Glory Banda told VicFallsLive.
Smit, from Bvakacha Farm in Matetsi Unit One, had been under police surveillance following a tipoff last month.
He was arrested after indications that he was in the process of manufacturing the drugs from his house. Said Insp Banda:
Acting on the tipoff, a warrant of search and seizure was obtained from the Victoria Falls magistrate court and on the same day around 12 noon, the Victoria Falls district team comprising of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and Narcotics, Support Unit and Canine led by Assistant Inspector Tavengwa visited the accused’s place of residence.
Upon arrival, the team produced a search warrant into his five roomed house and recovered a 25-litre container with two litres of ethanol for processing cannabis, one axe with a wooden handle, two by 20 litres distilling containers for harmful liquids, one condenser steel spirits serial number 65821, twenty-litre electrical cane, two by five millilitres (processed cannabis oil, 600 ml cannabis oil, 100 ml imonnelo oil for processing cannabis, 10-litre harmful liquid, two plastic tubes and raw dagga weighing 12 kilogrammes.
Smit is being charged with Contravening Section 5 of the Harmful Liquids Act Chapter 9:10 “Manufacturing of Harmful Liquids”.
Meanwhile, Smit was released from police custody and issued with a summons on Saturday. The Victoria Falls magistrates court prosecutors instructed him to report to court on Monday as police were still conducting further investigations.
Victoria Falls is a Natural Wonder of the world, and name of the resort town located in the Matabeleland North Province of Zimbabwe. The town is located on the northern border which separates Zimbabwe from Zambia, on the Zambezi River, about 1000km from it’s source…. Read More About Victoria Falls
