Police at Jenda in Mzimba have arrested Domnic Kamwambi, 46, for being found in possession of live ammunition, empty cartridges, gunpowder, and copper wire without permit from the authorities in the district.
The arrest on April 14, 2025, follows intelligence that someone had ammunition in bags around the trading area.
It has been established that Jenda Police detectives gathered intelligence indicating that someone had copper wire and ammunition stored at a certain house, awaiting transportation to an unknown location. Police detectives rushed to the scene and arrested the suspect, who was found loading the merchandise in his vehicle.
Upon his arrest, it was discovered that he had four bags of live ammunition, empty cartridges, and gunpowder, each bag weighing 50 kilograms. He was also found with four bags of copper wire, each weighing 50 kilograms.
When he was questioned about any documentation allowing him to possess such merchandise, he failed to produce any, hence his arrest.
A thorough examination with experts from the Firearms and Ballistics branch availed that Kamwambi was possessing 8,072 dismantled cartridges (7.62X51mm), 8,960 projectiles from dismantled cartridges, 1,546 dismantled cartridges (5.56X45mm), 3 blank bullets, a tracer, 2 live ammunition (undismantled), and more than 1 kilogram of gunpowder.
All ammunitions (bullets) were deliberately dismantled for reasons best known to the suspect.
The copper wire that was also found with the suspect has been partly identified by ESCOM officials as theirs, suspected to have been stolen from their different sites.
All the ammunition, copper wire, and a Toyota Hilux motor vehicle registration number KA 8276, silver in colour, have been seized pending court proceedings. He claims to have bought the merchandise in Zambia and was in transit to Tanzania for supply.
The suspect has been charged with being found in possession of ammunition, empty cartridges, and gunpowder and also found in possession of copper wire without permission.
He has also been charged with bringing in goods dishonestly acquired outside Malawi, which violates various statutes under the laws of Malawi.
Kamwambi, who hails from Mwafilaso village, Traditional Authority Kyungu, will appear before the court to answer his charges upon completion of all the necessary paperwork.
