Zambia Police Seize Stolen Vehicles, Wildlife Products in Joint Regional Operation

Zambia Police and other law enforcement agencies have seized vehicles reported stolen abroad, wildlife products and smuggled goods during a five-day joint operation targeting organised and transnational crime.

Inspector General of Police, during a briefing on Operation usalama IIX, said the operation ran from October 5 to 9, 2026, across Lusaka, Copperbelt, Eastern, Southern and Western provinces.

Three vehicles seized on the Copperbelt — a Toyota Hilux, Toyota Fortuner and Ford Ranger — were reportedly confirmed on the Interpol stolen motor vehicles database as having been stolen from outside Zambia.

In Lusaka, the Zambia Revenue Authority also impounded a Volkswagen allegedly smuggled into the country without payment of customs duty, two Mercedes-Benz Maybach vehicles and a Mercedes-Benz X250 pickup whose temporary import permits had expired.

The operation also uncovered several suspected wildlife crime cases. Police arrested a man in Lusaka’s Mtendere township for allegedly possessing a pangolin valued at K340,000.

Five men were arrested in Lusaka over the alleged possession of a dried leopard skin valued at K120,000, while three men in the Munga area were arrested for allegedly possessing a Kafue lechwe carcass valued at K10,000.

In another case, two men and a woman were arrested in Chiwoya township after allegedly being found with 221 kilogrammes of assorted meat from buffalo, hippopotamus, impala and warthog, valued at K178,000.

Police also reported the arrest of a man in Lusaka for allegedly possessing an elephant tusk weighing 13 kilogrammes and valued at K103,341. In Zimba District, Southern Province, another man was arrested over the alleged possession of four pieces of elephant ivory weighing 44.5 kilogrammes and valued at K115,000.

The Inspector General said the suspects in the wildlife-related cases remained in police custody awaiting court proceedings.

Authorities also seized assorted goods suspected to have been smuggled into the country. These included 14,147 bricks of assorted cigarettes valued at K14.147 million and 6,528 bottles of assorted alcoholic beverages valued at approximately K8.332 million.

Other seized goods included 29 cases of hot chocolate valued at K15,678, 54 boxes of Jungle products valued at K10,800 and 54 bags of pasta valued at K21,600.

The operation also targeted immigration-related offences. Police said people suspected of being undocumented migrants were apprehended in Lusaka Province and remained in custody pending verification of their immigration status and completion of the necessary legal procedures.

Operation Usalama is a regional, multi-agency crime-fighting initiative led by the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation and the Eastern African Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation, with support from Interpol regional bureaus.

The operation targets cross-border criminal activities, including human trafficking, migrant smuggling, drug trafficking, stolen vehicles, illicit firearms, environmental crimes and the smuggling of counterfeit and other prohibited goods.

Participating institutions in Zambia included the Zambia Police Service, immigration authorities, the Zambia Revenue Authority, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, the National Anti-Terrorism Centre and the Zambia Environmental Management Agency, alongside other relevant agencies.

The Inspector General commended the participating institutions and members of the public for their cooperation and for sharing information to help combat crime.

He said the joint efforts were aimed at strengthening public safety, upholding the rule of law and contributing to a safer and more secure Zambia.