ZIMRA officers charged in US$1m Plumtree alcohol smuggling case

Plumtree Border Post entrance

Two Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officers and two accomplices have appeared in Plumtree Magistrates Court, accused of orchestrating a sophisticated smuggling operation that allowed duty‑liable alcohol to enter the country disguised as agricultural equipment. The scheme is alleged to have cost the revenue authority more than US$1 million in unpaid import duty.

Corporal Luckson Chikwara (39) and James Dzimirwa (36), both ZIMRA revenue officers, were arrested alongside clearing agent Blessing Kodzawako (33) and Innocent Moyo (36), an employee of CIM Consultancy. The four appeared before Plumtree magistrate Joshua Nembaware and were remanded to 13 March, each released on US$200 bail.

Prosecutor Sheila Nyathi told the court the alleged fraud began on 24 January 2024, when Moyo is said to have produced a fraudulent tax clearance for Baobab Consultancy using ZIMRA’s Tarms system. Baobab Consultancy, directed by Phillip Mafurebwe, was not authorised to import goods.

How the alleged scam worked

According to the prosecution, the scheme involved several coordinated steps:

• Fraudulent documentation: Moyo allegedly generated fake tax clearances and provided them to Nyasha Moyo of Blenny Freight Services, who worked with clearing agent Kodzawako to register Baobab Consultancy as an importer.

• Misclassification of goods: Imports of alcohol and other duty‑liable items were reportedly declared as duty‑free agricultural equipment items such as centre pivots, knapsacks, and bulk washing powder.

• Fake invoices and entries: The accused are alleged to have created forged invoices and fraudulent bills of entry in the ASYCUDA World System, using agricultural codes to evade duty. Several clearing agents are named as having generated fraudulent bill of entry numbers.

• Deliberate bypass of scanning: At the scanning point, ZIMRA officers Chikwara, Dzimirwa, and another officer, Tinotenda Mawoyo, allegedly skipped scanning trucks carrying alcohol and falsely reported them as low‑risk agricultural consignments to the commercial office, which then released the goods without charging duty.

The alleged scheme resulted in a calculated loss to ZIMRA of ZAR 18,295,203.55, equivalent to US$1,006,235.20 in unpaid import duty. Investigations remain ongoing as authorities pursue further leads and examine the extent of involvement by other clearing agents and officials.

The accused have been remanded pending further investigation and the next court appearance on 13 March. Prosecutors say additional charges or arrests may follow as the probe continues. ZIMRA and law enforcement agencies are expected to provide updates as investigators trace the full scope of the alleged fraud.

ZIMRA officers charged; Plumtree border post; smuggling