PO L I C E o ff i c e r s , t a x i d r i v e r s a n d other eyewitnesses in Lusaka yesterday thwarted an alleged attempt by Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers to implicate a minibus driver of possessing cannabis on his bus. The DEC officers ended up being arrested and charged with malicious damage to property. Two officers were arrested but others who were in a different car were left free. A movie-like dramatic scene unfolded in front of Woodlands Police Station, Woodlands Shopping Mall and a nearby taxi rank when a car chase by the DEC officers of a minibus driver ended up in the

The incident, which attracted scores of people around this area, occurred at about 10:30 hours. The chase started from Chilimbulu Road in Chilenje Township and came to an abrupt halt at the entrance of Woodlands police station where the minibus driver, Kayombo Chinyama, rushed in trying to seek protection. The DEC officers were charged with malicious damage to property.

They are accused of damaging the windows of the minibus they were chasing. A check at the police station at about 13:00 hours found some broken glass and the minibus driver Mr Chinyama finalising some police formalities while the bus was parked in the police car park. A visibly shaken Mr Chinyama, who was left with a torn T-shirt, alleged that the officers, who caught up with him at Woodlands Police Station, broke windows of his bus and allegedly planted some drugs in the vehicle to implicate him.

“What happened is that the officers were chasing me from Chilimbulu up to here [police station] where they threw a ball of marijuana in an attempt to implicate me of the offence of trafficking,” he said. Some eyewitnesses included police officers at the station and taxi drivers.

“One of the DEC officers in the vehicle that was behind the vehicle chasing the minibus threw some cannabis in the bus and (DEC) claimed that the officers were chasing after Chinyama because of the drugs in the bus,” a police officer who witnessed the incident said. Some passers-by and taxi drivers also said they saw the alleged attempted planting of the suspected cannabis into the bus.

Police spokesperson Esther Katongo confirmed the incident and said the DEC officers have since been released because they claim they were on duty when they had an altercation with Chinyama. “They said they were escorting a fuel tanker but in the process had an altercation with Chinyama who they took to the police station,” she said. Mrs Katongo said the two DEC officers have been released and are expected to appear at the police station on Monday after a notice to their employer was served. She said the alleged cannabis placement in the bus will have to be handled by independent DEC officers and eyewitnesses have to testify