Chipata man arrested in Malawi for smuggling 1080 litres of petrol

A Chipata man has been arrested by Police at Mchinji One Stop Border Post for allegedly smuggling 1080 litres of petrol.

The Zambian national John Soko (42) hails from Naniya Village, Chief Mpezeni in Chipata District.

Police public relations officer Foster Benjamin said the arrest followed a patrol at 3am when police intercepted a Toyota Corolla and searched it.

Inside the car they found 27 jerry cans of petrol.

The suspect has since been charged with smuggling and being in possession of petrol and will be taken to court soon.

Fuel smuggling is rampant in Southern African Development Community region such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi among other countries.

Most of these countries are landlocked and rely on Mozambique’s Beira corridor.