Nearly 11 000 foreign currency dealers, touts and pirate taxi operators have been arrested since January this year during an ongoing operation being conducted countrywide. Most notable arrests were made in Harare and Bulawayo as the operation seeks to restore sanity countrywide.

During the same period, police impounded 3 132 unregistered vehicles.

Some of the touts and foreign currency dealers that were arrested were fined while others are expected to appear in court on charges of contravening the Exchange Control (Amendment) Regulations, 2018 (No.5), which criminalises illegal trading in foreign currency.

This also comes at a time when parallel market dealings in forex have been outlawed by Government and attract a 10-year jail term for anyone caught dabbling in it. According to police statistics, a total of 10 766 suspects were arrested during the crackdown. In a statement, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests.State media