By Edward Roy Makayi.
Ndola 11th January 2024.
ANTI-SMUGGLING TASK FORCE SEIZE AND SHUTS DOWN STAR MILLING COMPANY IN NDOLA AS DEC, IMMIGRATION COMMENCES PRESS UPS TO MOVE IN.
In hot turn of events of the ongoing Battle against snuggling, the fight has gone right to the source. In a non stop counter-anti-smuggling operation which has been sanctioned to increase the intensity, Star Milling company has been seized by the task force and now manned by ZNS as all operations and production have been suspended. This follows the lead of trucks that where being monitored and where on wanted list among other vehicles that went to loading mealie meal at night and escaping using secret exit points with the help of Star Milling management.
It connects to the earlier truck which was pursued and got stuck loaded with Star Milling bags of mealie meal, yesterday 4 vehicles where being monitored they went in the plant and loaded around 23:00hrs two Regious busses plates numbers BAD 3937 and ADC 7273 respectively started off for DRC and where intercepted and impounded by the ZNS and other state agents in a combined operations. The drivers and their phones where seised and they provided data that more vehicles are at the Star Milling loading and will be going out soon.
The combined team spred out and surrounded the plant 4 vehicles came out and a chase was activated 2 managed to escape as they went different directions and disappeared while two where caught with drivers running away leaving their vehicles, a Canter and a bus and they where taken back to the plant where the staffs confessed loading mealie meal bags despite being warned o. Several occasions of not loading the vessels beyond 20:00hrs.
Several workers explained the side of their stories all implicating their managements and supervisors for giving instructions to allow the said vessels. This became a case to the task force who then found management accomplices to the rot, the workers explained how mealie meal is loaded and aided secured exit points out of the plants to the DRC and many more. The task force led by the Copperbelt Deputy Permanent Secretary Mr Daniel Kamenga, ZNS military wing led by Deputy Provost Marshall Lt Col P.M. Mfula and other wings of goverment moved in to seize and suspend the operations of the plant.
The task force quickly surrounded the plant and took control which is now under state security watch by ZNS. The seized vehicles are at ZNS camp in Ndola while others are still in the plant. Suspects thats where caught in the first operations with two Regious busses where then taken to police around 02 at Ndeke Police for safe custody unfortunately this morning they where all released in an unclear circumstances by the Police against the advise of the task force.
A meeting was called in the afternoon where other government wings expressed interest in the matter involving the Somalian management implicated by both their workers and drivers caught smuggling. While the meeting was ongoing the management was not corporating with the joint task force leading to a severe hashy response of having all them put in Police Cells probably to spend the weekend behind bars. DEC and Imigration also have joined in to snif what they seek as they said they smell something fishy to their likehoods.
By this publication, Star Milling is currently non functional until further notice with certain managements and staffs behind bars and to be charged later on. The task force has warned other milling companies against taking advantage of government’s subsidized maize supply to them from FRA into mass productions of mealie meal for smuggling purposes.
CIC PRESS TEAM
