By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
. FRA
THE Food Reserve Agency has thwarted an attempt to smuggle maize worth thousands of Kwacha, to unknown destinations outside the country, in the process, police detained 11 suspects, including a key mastermind in breaking into warehouses in Lusaka’s industrial area.
Five trucks laden with 1,430 x 50 kilogrammes bags of maize, worth K107,250, were intercepted from various points in Lusaka.
One of the suspects had been profiled by police as an expert in breaking into warehouses located in Lusaka’s industrial area.
FRA food reserve and marketing manager, Mwansa Chamatete confirmed this in a statement issued yesterday by the agency’s public relations officer Daniel M’soka.
A combined team of security officers from Police, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and FRA, acting on a tip off, laid an ambush at the weekend and thwarted attempts by three different groups that almost succeeded in ferrying the maize outside the country.
In the operation, the first group to be intercepted had broken into one of the FRA sheds using keys and breaking locks.
The police gave chase and fired gunshots when the group wanted to escape.
The second group was found with fake FRA documents, purporting to have genuinely bought maize from FRA, while the third group was illegally trans-shipping maize into a foreign registered truck.
According to FRA policy, no foreign registered truck or vessel or unregistered truck or vessel could carry the agency’s reserves.
The five impounded trucks are parked at the Lusaka Central Police Station and at one of the FRA sheds in Lusaka.
Mr Chamatete said the FRA was currently administering a special maize sales programme for millers under the Ministry of Agriculture meant to provide affordable mealie-meal to the public.
This programme was meant for millers only and not traders.
He appealed to the public to continue being vigilant and report to FRA or Police any persons or suspicious movements of FRA maize.
Mr Chamatete commended the public for their support in passing information to FRA on criminal acts targeted at the reserves.
Zambia had been targeted by criminal groups because, apparently, it was the only country in the region with excess maize stocks.
