A collective effort involving governments worldwide is required to fight organised crime - Mubita Nawa.

As Zambia uncovers a “sophisticated internet fraud syndicate” leading to the arrest of 77 people, including 22 Chinese nationals.

By Mpandashalo Mwewa.

Lusaka, April 16 – Asked to comment on the recent uncovered sophisticated Chinese cybercrime syndicate in Zambia by a joint team of law enforcement agencies, Africa’s candidate for Secretary General of INTERPOL, Mr. Mubita Nawa, has reiterated his belief in the need for collective effort to fight organised crime.

“Taking a stand against organized crime isn’t just about law enforcement – it’s a collective effort involving communities, institutions, and governments worldwide. Together, we can dismantle criminal networks and create safer societies,” Mr. Nawa emphasised.

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In reference to a multi-agency raid on a Chinese-run company that led to the recent uncovered sophisticated Chinese cybercrime syndicate, Mr. Nawa reiterated Zambia’s position on how transnational organized crime must be fought.

“Zambia is not just seeking to provide leadership to the global police body, INTERPOL, but has been and continues to take serious steps towards the prevention and fight against transnational organized crime as shown in this burst of a cybercrime syndicate by way of a multi-disciplinary law enforcement operation,” he explained.

In this case, the raid came after months of intelligence gathering by a multi-disciplinary law enforcement operation involving the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), the Police, the Immigration Department and the Anti-Terrorism Unit, following an alarming rise in internet fraud cases in Zambia.

This comes in the wake of another successful operation on April the 4th, 2024, by a joint initiative spearheaded by personnel from the Zambia Police (ZP), Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Ministry of Health (MOH), Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA), and Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA),in an operation dubbed “Operation Umoyo” whose results were announced by the Inspector General of the Zambia Police Service Mr. Graphael Musamba.

This operation was strategically designed to combat the proliferation of illegal drugs, unauthorized sales of government medicines, trading without proper licenses, and associated offences within the metropolitan hub of Lusaka.

During the operation, the multidisciplinary team conducted thorough searches, which resulted in the seizure of illegal drugs and related items, constituting offences under Zambian laws.

Notably, the operation led to the apprehension of 16 suspects across various police stations in Lusaka. Among these suspects, seven individuals were arrested for operating unregistered pharmacies. Furthermore, nine suspects were detained for conveying stolen property.

Among other items seized during the operation included antibiotics, HIV Test Kits, and injectable diabetic medicines, which bear batch numbers that coincide with the government-procured medicines.

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