BY JUDITH SIBANDA
A Mabalengwe Safaris camp manager was on Thursday arrested by Victoria Falls police after being found with an assortment of illegal drugs stashed in his house.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Glory Banda confirmed the arrest of 62-year-old Cornelious Smit of Bvakacha Farm in Matetsi Unit One after police received a tip-off last month that he was illegally dealing in drugs and possession of dangerous drugs as well as processing harmful liquids.
He is charged with Contravening Section 5 of the Harmful Liquids Act Chapter 9:10 “Manufacturing of Harmful Liquids”.
Banda said following on the tipoff, Victoria Falls police dispatched an intelligence team that tracked Smit’s activities leading to his arrest and discovery of dagga, cannabis oil and equipment that he was allegedly using to produce harmful drugs.
“Acting on the tipoff, a warrant of search and seizure was obtained from Victoria Falls Magistrate Court and on the same day around 12 noon, 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,” Banda said.
“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 wooden handle, two by twenty litres distilling containers for harmful liquids, one condenser steel spirits serial number 65821, twenty-litre electrical cane, two by 5 mililiters (mls) processed cannabis oil, 600 mls cannabis oil, 100 mls imonnelo oil for processing cannabis, 10-litre harmful liquid, two plastic tubes and raw dagga weighing 12 kilograms.
Smit was, however, released from police custody and he is set to appear in court on Monday.
