As the nationwide crackdown against drug suppliers and peddlers intensifies, police are now conducting door-to-door searches to flush out illegal trade in the dangerous substances.
At least 636 suspects have been arrested, most of them from Mufakose and Warren Park suburbs.
Suspected drug dealers arrive at the Harare Magistrates Court yesterday.
Mbanje plants were also recovered at a house in a garden, in Mufakose.
Some house owners in Harare operating shebeens and believed to be suppliers and distributors of dangerous drugs were also raided.
Police officers inspect some of the alcohol confiscated from shebeen operators in Harare yesterday. —Picture: Lynn Munjanja.
The Herald visited some of the police stations in Harare where several plants of mbanje and bottles of cough syrups such as Broncleer, Benylin with codeine and Adco-Salterpyn syrup were on display after they were recovered from various drug dealers who have since been arrested and are appearing in court.
Dubbed “No to dangerous drugs and illicit substances: See something, say something”, the operation comes after Government instructed police to redouble their efforts against drug lords supplying unwanted substances to youths.
Police were yesterday still consolidating information about the quantities of the drugs that they had recovered so far countrywide and will release the details anytime soon.
In an interview, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said on Monday, they arrested a total of 277 people countrywide bringing the number to 636 since last week.
“On February 6, 2023, police arrested 277 people countrywide on operation, ‘No to dangerous drugs and illicit substances’, bringing cumulative arrests to 636. We want the public to cooperate with the police so that we can get as much information as possible on any one dealing or supplying drugs.
“The police will make sure that the law takes its course. We would want to assure the public that no one is above the law especially in dealing or supplying drugs,” he said.
A policeman, Kunyongana Masimba, was arrested with two others while allegedly working with a Sunningdale drug dealer distributing drugs from a vehicle on Saturday night.
Kunyongana, who is from Sunningdale Police Station and his co-accused Mathew Kuimba and Assam Manyamba appeared before Harare Magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi and they were released on $20 000 bail each and remanded to April 5.
The Government has said the rounding up of drug kingpins would help save young people many of whom were struggling with drugs.
Police said they would now man roadblocks and stop and search motorists and even passengers on vehicles.
In other news – Operation Dudula takes to the streets over Zimbabwe permit extension
Members of Operation Dudula demonstrated outside the high court in Pretoria on Monday in opposition to the Zimbabwe exemption permit (ZEP) extension.
