By Panashe Karidzagundi.
A 41-year-old Budiriro man has been sentenced to eight months in prison for unlawfully possessing unregistered medicines worth an estimated US$4,820.
Tapwa Matienga of Budiriro was convicted and sentenced by the Beitbridge Magistrates’ Court following the seizure of hundreds of bottles of cough syrup and painkillers at the Beitbridge Border Post.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) bulletin dated August 20, 2026, the contraband comprised 96 bottles of Benylin cough syrup, 620 bottles of Broncleer cough syrup, 243 Astra painkillers and five bottles of Stilpant cough syrup.
The medicines were intercepted on August 17 at around 6pm when a cross-border Diamond Route Coaches bus arrived at the Beitbridge Border Post.
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) officials ordered passengers’ luggage to be offloaded for inspection.
Five drums belonging to Matienga were subsequently taken through a scanner, where the unregistered medicines were detected.
The bus crew were interviewed and reportedly identified Matienga as the owner of the drums containing the medicines.
He was subsequently arrested, while the medicines were seized.
The NPAZ said the case highlights the dangers posed by the smuggling of unlicensed medicines into Zimbabwe, warning that some of the substances can be abused as drugs once they reach the streets.
The authority urged law enforcement agencies and members of the public to work together to curb the illegal trade in unregistered medicines.