Tinotenda Hove — The country’s drug crisis has taken another alarming turn after police in Bulawayo intercepted a vehicle loaded with illicit cough syrups during an anti-smuggling operation on September 15.

Officers deployed along Solusi Road stopped a Toyota Hilux and uncovered a massive haul of 239 x 100ml bottles of Benylin Cough Syrup and 1 297 x 100ml bottles of Broncleer Cough Syrup — substances widely abused by drug peddlers and youths.

The driver, identified as 36-year-old Malvin Ncube, fled the scene and is currently on the run. Police have since launched a manhunt, urging members of the public to come forward with information that may lead to his arrest.

Authorities said the interception underscores the seriousness of the smuggling networks fueling Zimbabwe’s substance abuse problem. The operation is part of an intensified campaign to curb the flow of harmful drugs into communities.

Police have vowed to leave no stone unturned in the fight against illicit substances, warning traffickers that the law will catch up with them.