Fourteen Chinese nationals have been arrested in Harare after police found them in possession of cocaine during a raid at a lodge in Newlands on Tuesday morning.
A video circulating on social media shows the group comprising both men and women seated in the lodge.
Heavily armed ZRP officers can be seen guarding them, while part of the footage shows a heap of cocaine on a board with some suspects attempting to shield their faces from the camera.
Authorities confirmed the arrests but did not disclose the quantity of cocaine recovered. Investigations are still underway.
The incident comes amid mounting public concern over alleged criminal activities involving some Chinese nationals in the country.
Meanwhile, three Chinese Nationals and a local man were handed a USD300 fine or a six-month sentence in default of payment by the Chinhoyi Magistrates’ Court for illegal alluvial mining activities near Angwa River following a joint operation by game rangers and the police.
In June, rangers patrolling Conduit Green Wildlife Safaris, Karoi, discovered illegal mining operations near Angwa River.
They advised the offenders, Thembinkosi Nyoni (46), Li Taisen (30), Wang Jinyan (57) and Xia Lin (42) to stop their activities but they did not.
On the 28th of July 2025, police officers attended the scene and found the offenders conducting their mining activities.
The offenders failed to produce a permit and were subsequently arrested.
Investigations revealed that the offenders had been using an excavator to mine alluvial ore from the river and the ore was heaped on the river bank.
An excavator, two generators, a small fork-lift, two water pumps, a concrete mixing machine, a wash plant pending installation and 800 litres of diesel were recovered from the crime scene.
