It was only in the nineties that the webmaster became aware of the extent of drug abuse in Zimbabwe, he had simply moved in circles where on the surface, drugs didn’t exist.

It happened that a family member became exposed to drugs and it was thus that the webmaster had a rude awakening. There are no facilities for addicts in Zimbabwe, professionals such as Psychiatrists and Pharmacists were found to be either users, dealers or manufacturers of such products as artificial heroin, cocaine and "speed cocktails" subsequently exported.

From virtually zero drug problem at Independence the problem was now both established and sophisticated. Cell phone orders of any drug would be promptly delivered to your home wherever you were located.

After facing down a motorbike drug user/ dealer armed with a bayonet, unarmed, mid morning, in the middle of the road in upmarket Borrowdale, Harare, the webmaster decided to personally fund a private drugs investigation and surveillance team of professionals. It should be noted that the local police were ineffective and evidence of corruption had already emerged.

Such was the success of same, that after a few months the webmaster was recommended to the then Deputy Commissioner of Police by a senior drugs officer in Regional Interpol and laterally assigned to a Senior Assistant Commissioner.

Cause for National and International concern was the way the schools had been infiltrated. Such drugs as Heroin were delivered via London and South Africa and cause for concern was that drugs control in the UK appeared to be only concerned with imports rather than exports to the detriment of Third World countries and long term detriment of the United Kingdom.

The Americans were concerned about the Beira corridor and were involved in training dogs for use at the airport, Regional Interpol about the Zambian border and Zimbabwe authorities the South Africa border.

The economic effects on Zimbabwe resultant of drug trafficking were severe, taking into account the countries small economic base. Law enforcement agencies, courts and the legal fraternity had been recruited or corrupted. The children of the community leaders in Zimbabwes society and private schools had been targeted and infiltrated thus destabilising Zimbabwe and placing its future in great jeopardy. Zimbabwe was also being used as a transit base for drugs by International cartels, inevitably, drugs had and would compromise state security and the safety of those honest members of government and civic society.

Having been made aware of the violent nature of drug trafficking locally and its connections first hand, facing armed men on two occasions in a matter weeks, the need to employ only those investigators with expertise/ trained in combat and self defence techniques became abundantly apparent. The webmaster placed a suitable advertisement specifying same with a very negotiable salary in the local newspaper.

The result was astounding. Applicants included, local self confessed murderers of all races, those claiming to be professional hit men, a London trained professional bodyguard complete with certificates, former Yugoslav "Special police"(Advert placed in the late nineties after the Yugoslav/ Bosnia conflict), various undercover intelligence officers presumably wondering what was going on, former Selous Scouts, ex Zimbabwe Central Intelligence operatives and a local white farmer intrigued by the advertisement.

The webmaster may have inadvertently struck onto a simple and seemingly effective method of apprehending criminals, simply advertise for them.

In the case of the former Yugoslav "Special police officer", it was claimed that he was a trained intelligence officer (special operations) who was forced to leave Yugoslavia. That he was trained in covert operations and that in Yugoslavia they eliminate drug dealers it being the only way (This is a view shared by a number of very senior police and drug intelligence officers Internationally). He explained that a former colleague and Yugoslav police officer had recommended he come to Zimbabwe, however, it cost US,000 to secure permanent residence.

He related that his friend worked as an undercover operative for a very senior local police officer in the drugs section, his job was to infiltrate drug dealers, break into their homes and steal their merchandise, give same to the police officer, who in turn, sold it on making reward payment in currency towards a residence permit.

Unbelievingly, the writer asked which police officer, and was told that he had only met him on one occasion in uniform when he was offered the same deal. His description matched the Officer in Charge of the local drugs section. He refused the deal because of the need to keep a low profile and hence avoid drugs that were internationally monitored. He gave a local price list for his services, including elimination, in US dollars.

It will be appreciated that names and intricate details may not be mentioned, however the webmaster intends to proceed by way of example in general terms with some detail illustrating the lack of co-operation and drug intelligence sharing of the First World to the disadvantage of all.

While the First World tend to dismiss the Third World as a source of intelligence on drugs and crime, placing operatives in those countries to obtain flawed information resultant of lack of local knowledge, the Third World is in fact a source of note.

Issues of industrial espionage within the EU, a corrupt Head of State of a prominent EU country, untested designer medicines manufactured within and available throughout the EU to mafia style smuggling are samples of available information. Which, if left uninvestigated may lead to economic sabotage in greater proportion than the threat of terrorism. It is thus that decisions to break off communication or apply sanctions in certain cases can have disastrous consequences on both economies.

It was difficult to infiltrate the drug scene locally due to the fact that users and drug traffickers knew everyone concerned.

In the course of surveillance, operatives noted others doing a rather clumsy job of surveillance, this in fact increased the danger and difficulty of surveillance. Due to vehicles utilised amongst other things, it was the general consensus of opinion that it was the Americans. The webmaster therefore had a meeting with the security officer at the US embassy requesting that they withdraw their operatives. Although it was denied, we had no further problems and when the eventual debriefing took place with Regional Interpol they shared our opinion without prompting.

Whilst the intent was simply to monitor and establish the network of local drug cartels we obtained information of several international drug related murders within a matter of three months. It was claimed that one drug user/ dealer crossed the southern border illegally by motor cycle with a team being a drug courier, that he had murdered a chemist in Durban, was wanted for auto theft in Johannesburg and murdered another in Petersburg. This of course was merely uncollaborated information as opposed to another reported murder by the same accused of a local black American Diplomats wife, where a local businessman and relative of the accused was questioned at the time and still maintained the accused committed the murder. We located the former owner of a café who recalled the accused trying to sell a weapon of the same type in his café and much more. Although there was police investigation, the case file was missing, it being suggested that an accidental death was recorded save that, to the writers personal knowledge, the file of a murder he witnessed was also missing.

Whilst in the process of monitoring the above subject the investigator noted that the police twice made attempts to arrest same at his flat in the avenues. This was in pursuit of check fraud and concerned a South African Bank and Life Assurance company.

On both occasions the suspect jumped from the rear first floor balcony of the flat making an unobserved escape. He then moved into a hotel at the local Avondale shopping centre. The impatient investigator taking advantage of the situation, went to the suspects room claiming to be a member of the "Death Squad" from South Africa. The drug dealer imparted full information and being told that the investigator would be back ran to the local police station. The Officer in Charge of the same police station had been observed giving the accused a lift in his private vehicle to the Borrowdale police station who also had a warrant for his arrest to, it was claimed cancel the warrant.

The accused for finally handed to the Commercial Crimes Unit. The woman-investigating officer later released him and simultaneously resigned from the police. Coincidentally, a relative of the investigating officer shared the same cell as the accused. The cheques were intended for an emergency operation for the local complainant. Due to the resultant lack of funds for the operation, the local complain was discharged from a local private hospital and died. The investigating officer stated that as the local complainant was now deceased there was no case against the accused.

It was suggested that the same accused was responsible for the death of a young girl, daughter of a local businessman, on a flight from London to Harare when a condom containing heroin exploded internally. However, our investigation concluded that the owner of the drugs was actually a fellow passenger on the aircraft, a local director of a textile company of British extract.

The girls father, a man of means, tried to save his daughter in Durban, South Africa and in locally where at one stage he was assaulted by a motor bike gang and locked in a toilet while his daughter was abducted. Even a retired police officer and his wife, relatives, were intimidated by motor bikes roaring up and down outside their home all night by the drug user refered to above. What is sad is that British Drugs Control didnt see reason to follow up in the UK investigating contacts thus, eventually uncovering drug dealers in London slowing the flow into Zimbabwe.

One user, his claim to fame being that he was at one time related to the Spencer family by marriage, was a former inmate of Dartmoor and Zimbabwes prisons for drug related offences.

A house supplying accommodation for backpackers adjacent to the main Government Hospital in Harare was also supplying drugs. The Barman, on temporary work permit from UK, made sales to residents and local youths of all races. There were facilities in the Main house for "chilling out". It was heartbreaking to witness young schoolchildren, dental assistants, and professional youngsters of all races calling in after work for drugs clearly without the knowledge of their parents.

In Sam Levys village, at upmarket Borrowdale, in a small nightclub, whilst monitoring a drug dealer of Portuguese extract out on bail distributing drugs to minors of all races the webmaster was approached by youngsters and asked if he was "carrying". The club was packed with youths, children of the local elite and diplomats with at least two other dealers distributing.

Those responsible children would be served "spiked" drinks in most of Harares night clubs leading to rape and/ or addiction.

Drugs in local schools ranged from "speed" to sophisticated methods in boarding schools such as LSD transmitted on the back of postage stamps from South Africa.

It happened that a Dutch National was arrested for transporting a container load of Indian Hemp, Dope or Dagga from Malawi in transit to Europe. It is the writers information that the consignment was relocated to a house on the airport road rather than being destroyed by police.

The dealer of Portuguese extract, on bail, described above, obtained bail via corruption within the legal fraternity and later fled the country using a murdered young girl burnt in his car as a smokescreen.

His wife, a US national, is resident in the USA and it is the writers information that friends visited him shortly afterwards in Portugal. There is a serious need for Interpol to assist Third World countries in such cases.

In order to illustrate the standard of the most senior local Psychiatrists, one of the user/ dealers depicted above claimed that he assisted same in the local manufacture of artificial heroin in his home laboratory and that, he was a drug user. His use to the drug fraternity was that he would protect drug users from jail claiming they were patients and had psychiatric problems. In fact he supplied patients with drugs and it was the writers information that he made a habit of relationships with patients.

Whist traveling in a vehicle with another psychiatrist at night the writer saw a gun in the car. He stated that he was just hoping for the opportunity to shoot someone to get rid of stress and was very unstable. The writer later discovered that he also supplied drugs to patients indiscriminately and particularly with female patients in order to take sexual advantage of same. A local psychologist claimed most of her patients were from the same local school and on the same drug.

A local Pharmacist manufactured "slimming tablets" since Independence. These were highly addictive and the webmaster had them professionally tested in a UK laboratory. They were described as a particularly "evil" mixture of effedrine (Class "A" drug known also as "speed"), a highly addictive cocktail that would affect almost every organ of your body sold locally over the counter to children. On relating actual findings to the Pharmacist concerned, stating that it is prohibited in the EU, he replied that it was a good money spinner, said he would restrict it to adults and thanked the writer for contacting him directly as opposed to going via drug control. The most senior official in local drugs control was contacted several times, on each occasion claiming that this was "the first complaint received". It is estimated that thousands of addicts have been created through this drug and it is the writers information that it is regularly supplied to addicts in the UK by parents and family members fearful that the recipient will progress to Heroin should they not be kept in supply.

The Regional Pharmaceutical Association of Zimbabwe, an organisation of all local retail pharmacists, formed a joint wholesale and buying arm of their organisation known as RPA Co-op Ltd This company imported prescription drugs for the benefit of its members eventually going into forced liquidation without proper books of account or notifying any overseas suppliers. Orders were placed with UK suppliers in various combination of the company name signed by company management or the directors, all practicing retail pharmacists in their own right. No member pharmacist experienced financial difficulty and the Master of the High Court and Liquidator failed to report and follow up the obvious fraud for reasons best known to themselves. There appeared to be conflict of interests in that the appointed Liquidator also acted as executors/ trustees of the estates of some members. The Registrar of companies refused to delist the company stating that he in terms of its Memorandum and Articles of Association he failed to see how it could ever be forced into liquidation. It is a Drugs Control requirement and the law that proper records be kept of all prescription drug transactions.

Effectively some imported high cost prescription drugs in local pharmacists had been obtained fraudulently without payment in contravention of local Reserve Bank Directives.

The Commander of Harare police central in discussion voiced the concern that he only considered about 40% of his effective strength genuine, uncorrupted, police officers.

The writer was referred to Regional Interpol by a police officer in the local drugs section confirming the involvement of his senior officers. Certain of the traffickers were already known to Regional Interpol and the webmaster was able to supply additional information. The mere fact that the writer had been referred to Interpol, illustrated an absolute break down of drug control in Zimbabwe.

It was thus that a meeting was set up by Regional Interpol with the then Deputy Commissioner of Police who openly admitted on hearing evidence the need to retrain an entire new Drugs Section. Simultaneously, the writer was able to state that he had coffee at a local café with a dealer that the Deputy Commissioner and senior police officers were under the impression was locked up, on remand, facing at least 15 years, the case being discussed the day before at their weekly meeting at Police Headquarters.

In fact, the writer was laterally informed that police officers were simply transferred to other sections when clearly there should have been a massive investigation in the interests of State Security.

Due to lax International Border Control procedures on exports to the Third World coupled with decay within the local legal administration, Senior Police officers are faced with impossible odds.

There is a need to replace and retrain entire sections, to enlist the support of the international law enforcement agencies to close down local drug trafficking thus reducing corruption by default.

Substantial Aid is necessary to computerise certain sections such as fingerprinting and, provide an online data base thus also assisting Interpol and the International community at large in the location of international criminals by exchange of information. Salaries and equipment need to be reviewed and recruitment standards raised.

No police officer may implement or act upon an illegal command/ order in any country in the world and all police officers remain accountable for their actions or inaction both criminally and in civil law. There was and is a serious need for the public to play a part in the "policing " of the system. Legal practitioners locally, for reasons best known to themselves, refrained from legal actions against the "actual" accused preferring the slow political route of the appropriate Minister or Commissioner of Police. Why were there plenty of complaints in the press but not one civil, criminal action against any actual accused?

If a police officer, Magistrate or Judge has been negligent then why not include him in the case as a deterrent? Why protect his negligence by making a case against a government official or Minister who wasn’t even there, and allowing the real accused to continue his negligence or criminal activity?

Much of the crime was committed for the purpose of personal gain and/ or to cause political embarrassment to the Government in the knowledge that local lawyers in the heat of politics would let them get away with it.

I mean for the International Press to imply that any President would incite members of the public to steal furniture and household goods is ridiculous.

Corruption

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