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Twenty people from seven districts in Northwestern Province have been arrested for allegedly running unregistered pharmacies and agro-veterinary shops, according to the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA).
Ludovic Mwape, ZAMRA’s Senior Public Relations Officer, stated that the arrests were in violation of Section 14(1) of the Medicines and Allied Substances Act No. 3 of 2013.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Tuesday, Mwape noted that an additional suspect was detained for possessing suspected government medicines, an offense under Section 319 of the Zambian Penal Code.
“In a suspected case of pilferage, the Authority, in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), detained Sharbani Birindwa Faustin, 39, at Kipushi Border in Mushindano District for possessing suspected government medicines,” Mwape said.
The suspect, a Congolese refugee based at Maheba Refugee Camp in Kalumbila District, was found with 1,215 packs of 24 Coartem tablets. Upon questioning, Sharbani claimed he had received the medicine from an unknown individual in Solwezi District and was tasked with finding a market for it in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The suspect was detained at Solwezi Central Police Station as investigations continue to trace the source of the government-supplied medicines,” Mwape added.
Meanwhile, the 20 suspects arrested for operating unregistered pharmacies and agro-veterinary outlets have been released on police bond and are expected to appear in court soon.
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The arrests followed a joint operation by ZAMRA and the DEC in Northwestern Province between October 28 and November 11, 2024.
“The activity aimed to curb the growing illegal trade in medicines and allied substances in Zambia,” Mwape said, noting that the targeted outlets were identified during a prior sensitization programme.
Mwape reaffirmed ZAMRA’s commitment to ensuring that only registered pharmaceutical outlets operate, emphasizing the importance of safe, quality, and effective medicinal products for public health.
He further warned that pharmaceutical outlets failing to meet regulatory standards for the sale of medicines and allied substances would face prosecution.
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