Mzuzu Man Arrested For Allegedly Selling Illegal And Expired Pesticides
Published on June 12, 2026 at 11:12 AM by Evance Kapito
Police in Mzuzu, working together with the Pesticides Control Board (PCB), have arrested a 38-year-old man, Blessings Chilipa, for allegedly selling illegal and expired pesticides in the city.
According to Mzuzu Police Assistant Public Relations Officer Edson Chipeni, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers arrested the suspect at Nkholongo following investigations into his activities.
Police say Chilipa was found selling Skana Super (Malathion + Permethrin) bearing a forged label with Batch Number SKMLW 0209. He was also allegedly caught repackaging Dithane (Mancozeb) into unlabelled containers for resale.
Investigations further revealed that the batch of Skana Super had expired in 2011 and had been placed under quarantine at the Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) in Luwinga pending disposal as an obsolete government pesticide product.
The Pesticides Control Board has warned that such practices pose serious risks to public health and agriculture, as users are exposed to potentially dangerous chemicals without proper labelling, usage instructions or safety information.
Authorities say the suspect will appear before court to answer charges related to the illegal handling and sale of pesticide products.
Police and the Pesticides Control Board have since urged the public to purchase agricultural chemicals only from licensed dealers and to report any suspicious pesticide sales to relevant authorities.
