The truck drivers said the maize was imported from Tanzania although the trucks were registered in Zambia.
However, Copperbelt police chief, Antoneil Mutentwa said in an
interview yesterday that the impounded trucks had never been to
Tanzania according to the records availed to the police.
Mr Mutentwa said police and the offices of the district commissioners
in the province had stiffened the monitoring of movement of both maize
and mealie meal.
He said that though the matter did not directly involve the police, the
service wanted to verify the documentation of export of both maize and
mealie meal before the trucks could proceed to the DRC.
Mr Mutentwa said police would hand over the trucks to the Zambia Revenue Authority.
And Chingola acting District Commissioner, Philip Simbule said police
and the district commisioners' offices had formed a maize and mealie
meal task force.
Mr Simbule said the task force was monitoring the maize and mealie meal that was passing through the district.
He wondered why most of the trucks going through the Copperbelt were destined for depots at Kasumbalesa.
Mr Simbule said the main purpose of the task force was to ensure that mealie meal was available in all outlets.
He said because maize was a precious commodity, he would ensure that
the trucks transporting maize and mealie meal had the right
documentation.
Meanwhile, Copperbelt Minister, Mwansa Mbulakulima has warned that
millers and traders creating an artificial shortage of mealie meal by
smuggling the commodity into neighbouring countries will not have it
easy because the provincial administration has put in place measures to
help curb the scourge.
Mr Mbulakulima said the rampant smuggling of mealie meal into
neighbouring countries had contributed to the artificial shortage of
the commodity in the province and the provincial administration had
decided to put in place measures that would reduce smuggling.