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Crime & Courts

ZIMRA Dog Finds Seven Pistols Hidden on Bulawayo-Bound Bus at Beitbridge

By Rebecca Zimera1 min read
ZIMRA canine handler with a German Shepherd sniffer dog examining luggage beside a passenger bus at Beitbridge Border Post.
A ZIMRA canine handler and sniffer dog inspect luggage beside a bus at Beitbridge Border Post. A detector dog named Poncho helped uncover seven pistols and 170 rounds of blank ammunition on a Bulawayo-bound bus on 6 November 2026.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has intercepted seven pistols and 170 rounds of 9mm blank ammunition concealed on a bus travelling from South Africa to Bulawayo.

The firearms were discovered at approximately 3am on 6 November 2026 during a routine canine inspection at the northbound bus terminal at Beitbridge Border Post.

A ZIMRA detector dog named Poncho alerted officers to suspicious parcels hidden beneath the first row of passenger seats, directly behind the driver's seat.

A subsequent search uncovered two packages wrapped in black plastic and brown adhesive tape containing seven black pistols and 170 rounds of blank ammunition.

According to ZIMRA, the bus driver acknowledged receiving the parcels in South Africa for delivery in Bulawayo but told officers he was unaware of their contents. He was subsequently taken into police custody.

The seized firearms and ammunition were valued at R21,400, approximately US$1,250, and recorded under Notice of Seizure 047464L dated 6 November 2026.

"The interception demonstrates the important role of our K9 dogs in combating smuggling of dangerous goods and other forms of illicit cross-border movement," ZIMRA said in a statement.

The authority urged members of the public to comply with customs requirements when moving goods across the border and warned against transporting undeclared goods.

The interception highlights the role of detector dogs in identifying concealed goods at Beitbridge, one of Zimbabwe's busiest border crossings.

The driver was handed over to police for further investigation. No charges or court appearance have been confirmed in the information available.

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Rebecca Zimera
Rebecca ZimeraRebecca Zimera is Senior Business and Courts Correspondent at The Granite Post. She reports on money and property in Zimbabwe, covering economic policy, household finances, local government spending and the court cases that decide who owns what

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