Senior police officers in Phalombe are reportedly under scrutiny following new developments in an illegal charcoal trafficking case in which a suspect escaped custody during a forestry operation last night.
Forestry officers, in collaboration with police, intercepted a van loaded with illegally produced charcoal in the Namba area as part of an intensified crackdown on environmental offences in the district.
Phalombe Plantation Manager David Guta confirmed the seizure, saying the interception formed part of ongoing operations aimed at curbing illegal charcoal production and transportation networks.
The driver later escaped while being ferried to Phalombe Boma. He reportedly jumped from a moving forestry vehicle at Nalingula and ran towards a nearby graveyard, abandoning his mobile phones.
Investigators say call records from the recovered phones show frequent communication between the suspect and senior police officers shortly before the interception.
The calls, made within a two-hour window, are also said to include contacts linked to senior officers manning roadblocks in the district, raising suspicion of possible coordination.
Authorities now suspect a wider organised network involving elements within law enforcement, describing the pattern as a structured cartel behind repeated charcoal smuggling activities.
The vehicle involved, registration number RU 7646, is also believed to have been used repeatedly in similar incidents without being intercepted, further raising questions of possible internal protection.
Police have not yet commented on the allegations involving their officers.
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