Dealers smuggle posh vehicles using Counter Intelligence number plates

Several car dealers and those who bought their posh vehicles were arrested over the weekend for smuggling vehicles before they sold them to various clients after affixing them with stolen number plates used by the Office of the President, counter intelligence department.

Some of the dealers who appeared in court today are Edmore Manyonda a director of Geoscape Properties company, Shepherd Hove and Simbarashe Blessing Matinyarare.

They were remanded in custody to tomorrow when they appeared before regional magistrate Donald Ndiroweyi for their bail ruling.

Allegations are that sometime in May 2023 the accused persons acting for a common purpose hatched a plan to smuggle vehicles into the country and fraudulently register them.

It is alleged that on a date unknown to the prosecution but during the period between the month of May and this year, Manyonda smuggled three motor vehicles, a Ford Ranger Super Truck Chassis number AFAPXXM32 PPE32375, a Ford Ranger Stormtrek Chassis number AFAPXXMJ2 PNM47141 and KIA truck.

The State alleges in an effort to conceal the illicit deal Hove and Matinyarare supplied Manyonda with four vehicle registration number plates namely AGE 0489, AFU 6781, AFB 5566 and AGE 0478, belonging to Counter Intelligence of the Office of the President and Cabinet of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

It is alleged that when Hove and Matinyarare supplied the said registration plates, they knew very well that the vehicles were not entitled to such registration plates.

Manyonda went on to affix three of the said registration numbers on the smuggled vehicles namely AGE 0489 on Ford Ranger Supertrek, AFU 6781 Ford Ranger Stormtrek and AFB 5566 on a KIA trụck,

The state alleges that when accused one affixed the said registration plates on the vehicles he well knew that the vehicles were not supposed to be affixed with such registration plates but intended to rob the Government in taxes and also affecting the good administration of the Central Vehicle Registration system.

The three vehicles were recovered together with the said registration plates and will be produced in Court as Exhibit.

The state alleged that as a result the Government suffered an actual prejudice of approximately US$ 133 500 and nothing was recovered.