MBS, Police burn liquor in Chikwawa

The Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) in collaboration with police in Chikwawa on Tuesday burned down plastic packaged liquor worth about K6 million.

The exercise, aimed at cracking down on liquor spirits, was done between the grounds of the district council and the police.

A total of 300 cartons which comprised of 1,200 bottles of the illicit beer were set alight in an operation which had attracted scores of people.

The burning comes barely two days after the police manning the checkpoint at Thabwa had intercepted the van and the minibus carrying the liquor belonging to a Burundian trader.

The Burundian–Ndiho Alphonse–and a Malawian–Alex Paul–were arrested and later released on bail.

The two have since been fined K500 000 for contravening the MBS Act Number 14 of 2012 and the subsequent ban of the spirits packaged in illegal plastic bottles.

If found guilty, the two are likely to serve three years in jail