A 71-year-old foreign national was arrested on Saturday at the Robert Mugabe International Airport while trying to smuggle drugs worth ZWL$3 million.
The drug mule, Hans Arne Ingemar Petersson, had 3 kilogrammes of heroin stashed in a plastic bag that was in one of his traveling bags.
ZRP national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest. He said:
On 08 April 2023, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics, Harare acted on the received information and arrested a foreign national, Hans Arne Ingemar Petersson (71) at RGM Airport, in connection with possession of 3kgs of Heroin with an estimated street value of ZWL$3 400 000.00.
The drugs were recovered stashed in a plastic bag, which was in a false compartment created in a suitcase.
According to the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA), Zimbabwe’s illicit substance use problem increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commonly used substances in Zimbabwe include glue, bronclee, mangemba, cane sprit, marijuana, codeine and methamphetamine (crystal meth).
Very high unemployment rates in Zimbabwe, coupled with poverty and despair, have resulted in increasing numbers of youthful citizens also turning to use drugs as a way of entertainment.
According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, people who have problems with drug abuse can be assisted at the following public as well as private health centres:
In case you have a son, daughter, friend, or relative who has a problem with drug abuse, the following public psychiatric institutions offer help in fighting drug addiction:
1. Sally Mugabe Psychiatric Unit (Harare)
2. Parirenyatwa Annex Psychiatric Unit (Harare)
3. Ingutsheni Psychiatric Hospital (Bulawayo)
4. Ngomahuru Hospital and Half-way House (Masvingo)
The following institutions also offer counselling and rehabilitation services for patients battling drug addiction:
1. Highlands Halfway Home +2638644210999
2. Ruwa Rehabilitation Centre +263273790238
3. Serenity Mind Centre +263716825245
4. Tirivanhu Rehabilitation +263773593014
5. Beatrice Rehabilitation Harare
6. Tariro Rehabilitation Centre, Harare
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