BUSINESS REPORTER
A Bigway Tobacco executive has been caught in the eye of the storm after allegedly ‘hijacking’ a truck with 208 tobacco bales belonging to Agritrade Leaf Tobacco, Business Times can report.
Bigway Tobacco managing director Dinnery Harrison is alleged to have approached an Agritrade Leaf Tobacco driver who was driving the truck with the purchased tobacco to Harare from Rusape for storage. He is alleged to have pampered him with some goodies in exchange for the bales.
The stolen tobacco is worth US$55 000 (ZWL$4.6m on auction rate) and the matter has since been reported to the police and is being investigated by the Criminal Investigations Department.
It is understood that the police was in the Workington industrial area, recording statements on where the tobacco was offloaded. A police officer with the CID confirmed the arrest of Harrison under the case numbers 37/05/21 and CIDDR39/05/21 saying he will appear in court today (Friday).
“On May 8, 2021, Harrison, who is a former employee of Agritrade Leaf Tobacco, hijacked 208 bales of tobacco from his former company which were in transit from Rusape and later delivered the bales to his floors in Workington.
“After selling the tobacco, Harrison is alleged to have burnt the Agritrade branded bales to destroy evidence,” the officer said.
Harrison allegedly sold the tobacco to a related tobacco company. The driver who was allegedly paid off has since been arrested.
Agritrade managing director Cephas Rukweza confirmed the case but declined to comment noting that the case is under police investigation and will only comment after the case has been concluded.
Harrison is alleged to have used four different grower numbers when selling the tobacco as according to Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board regulations one grower can only sell at most 50 bales.
