Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has confirmed to SA Trucker that two truck drivers have been arrested and charged following the interception of trucks travelling from South Africa into Zambia at Kazungula.
The confirmation provides new details about the incident first reported by SA Trucker, including the alleged concealment of thousands of bottles of Benylin containing codeine on two of the trucks.
According to Allan Tamba, Public Relations Officer of the DEC, officers in Kazungula District received intelligence that three trucks travelling from South Africa to Zambia were allegedly transporting Benylin containing codeine.
The trucks were intercepted and searched.
The DEC said 90 boxes, containing 4,320 bottles of Benylin with codeine, were allegedly found on the first truck. The boxes were reportedly concealed between containers and covered with a tent on the trailer.
The driver, identified as Moses Mbao, 56, has been charged with unlawful importation.
A second truck was allegedly found carrying 80 boxes, containing a further 3,840 bottles.
The DEC said these boxes were hidden between bags of ammonium nitrate and covered with a tent on the trailer.
The driver, Hebert Chibobo, 43, a Zimbabwean national, was also arrested and charged with unlawful importation.
The combined quantity allegedly recovered from the two trucks was therefore 170 boxes containing 8,160 bottles of Benylin with codeine.
A third truck was also intercepted, but its driver was not present when the vehicle was searched. The DEC said the driver has since gone into hiding and a manhunt has been launched.
G&H Transport clarifies its involvement
Following the DEC confirmation, G&H Transport and Repairs has clarified to SA Trucker that only one of the two vehicles identified in the DEC statement was operated by the company.
G&H confirmed that Chibobo was employed by the company as a driver, but said Mbao is neither a G&H employee nor contractor and that the vehicle attributed to him is not a G&H vehicle.
The company said its truck was transporting a lawful consignment of ammonium nitrate on behalf of a client.
G&H maintains that any alleged possession, concealment or transportation of unauthorised goods occurred without the company’s knowledge, consent or authorisation and contrary to its policies and the driver’s employment obligations.
Importantly, G&H said the Zambian authorities released its vehicle and allowed it to continue with its lawful consignment.
The company said it has not been charged or implicated in the matter and has cooperated fully with the authorities.
G&H has also instituted its own internal processes concerning the incident.
The DEC’s investigation remains ongoing, while authorities continue efforts to locate the driver of the third truck.
For the South African road freight industry, the case highlights the risks faced by transport operators when vehicles are used for cross-border movements involving controlled medicines.
The DEC said it remains concerned about the illegal movement and distribution of controlled medicines, particularly substances containing codeine, which are subject to regulatory controls.
The allegations against the arrested individuals remain allegations and will ultimately be tested through the Zambian legal process.
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