Rise in smuggling of counterfeit whiskeys in southern Africa sparks health alert

For a bribe of just $20, a 50-kilogram shipment containing six refilled jugs of what is claimed to be Bushmills Irish Whiskey slips into Zimbabwe without being checked by customs officials at the Chirundu border post. It comes from the neighboring Republic of Zambia, just across the Zambezi River. But these bottles contain a pale yellow liquid that is not authentic Bushmills Irish Whiskey. “They are imitation whiskeys, made and bottled in clandestine distilleries in Tanzania or Zambia — no one knows that — and then smuggled into Zimbabwe,” says Batsi, a smuggler at the Chirundu border, who prefers not to give his real name. “The clandestine producers are making a fortune,” he adds.

Counterfeit alcohol has flooded the streets of Zimbabwe, although it’s a story that “is also repeated on the borders of Zambia, Mozambique, and South Africa,” says Paul Nyathi, commissioner and spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Republic Police, in an interview with this newspaper. Doctors, parents, and authorities are alarmed by the rise in consumption of these drinks, which are sold at a lower price and are causing an unprecedented kidney health and addiction crisis across all age groups. George Guvamatanga, chief director of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Finance, warns of another risk: local subsidiaries of European brewers, such as the American-Belgian-Brazilian multinational Anheuser-Busch InBev, could lose market share and millions in long-term investments to clandestine manufacturers.

Counterfeit whiskey is so sophisticated that even the most experienced bartenders can mistake it for the real thing. Ishmael Mangeto, a retired chemist and former distillery manager at Delta Beverages — Zimbabwe’s largest distiller and majority-owned by AB InBev — says he’s never seen anything like it in his career. “It’s a disaster,” he says, as he pours the contents of a fake Bushmills into a glass, swirls it, and pours it onto a white plate. “It’s not just Bushmills, it’s also London Dry Gin, Scottish Leader, Justerini & Brooks... These are iconic drinks that have been stripped of their authenticity here.”

Foreign actors

Oliver Mandipaka, a former police inspector in Zimbabwe and now a legislator, tells this newspaper that organized groups from tax havens in Asia and Latin America have arrived in southern Africa to establish clandestine distilleries and alcohol laboratories. “The groups are employing skilled chemists, transporters, and beverage tasters, and bribing underpaid government officials to set up clandestine factories,” says Mandipaka, adding that “the fake whiskeys are designed to resemble the originals because the groups employ the best talent available.” These mafias, he continues, have “supply chains, especially in Tanzania, where the region’s busiest port is located, and in South Africa,” which is home to the wealthiest consumer market, he explains. Although demand for counterfeit alcohol is high in Zimbabwe, “in the broader picture, it’s just a transit country,” he adds.

Another danger cited by this former police officer is that counterfeit European whiskeys “are manufactured in the same factories where chemicals destined for the production of illicit drugs are mixed.” He cites a July 2024 explosion in Limpopo Province, South Africa, where, he claims, an alleged Mexican cartel had set up a $109 million facility with boiler rooms and laboratories to manufacture everything from acetone to methamphetamine.

Networks producing counterfeit whiskey and even Russian vodka are creating addictions in a generation of drinkers too poor and unemployed to afford “safe” and authentic drinks. “My son was kicked out of law school after getting hooked on fake Irish whiskeys,” says Ivan Torindo, a father of four in Mutare, Zimbabwe.

Torindo explains that for unemployed youth and adults, the attraction is clear: while an authentic bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey costs $22 in Zimbabwean bars and supermarkets, a fake version of the same drink — with twice the alcohol content — costs just $1.50.

Doctors fear that the lucrative profits generated by counterfeit whiskeys will fuel an underground industry, with deadly health consequences. Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of kidney failure in Africa and a severe shortage of kidney nurses.

The effects are already being felt in hospitals, says Edmore Shumba, an emergency room doctor in Mutare. This town is home to the Forbes border crossing, a major smuggling point, just 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the port of Beira in Mozambique. “I am dismayed,” says Shumba, who in 2024 referred a dozen young patients to lung and kidney specialists. They arrived with severe coughs, pale skin, and swollen feet. Blood tests indicated scarring of the lungs and kidneys. “When I asked them about their lives, they all said they were unemployed and drank counterfeit whiskey daily to cope with the stress of poverty,” he explains.

Strong measures

The Zimbabwean government has stepped up its efforts to combat transnational counterfeit whiskey networks, which involve corrupt customs officials, illegal distillers, smugglers, and street dealers. Regina Chinamasa, director of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, says authorities are working tirelessly to strengthen borders, deploy sniffer dogs and drones, and arrest customs officials who accept bribes to combat the importation and distribution of counterfeit European whiskeys. For its part, Chinamasa continues, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has launched a lightning operation in 2025, and all merchants selling liquor without tax receipts will be considered smugglers. “The liquor will be confiscated,” she warns.

“We call on the advertising industry to act morally,” Chinamasa adds. Part of the problem is that counterfeit alcohol is flooding the streets with the help of sophisticated but misleading advertising campaigns that saturate Zimbabwean cities. “It’s creating a toxic fantasy in the minds of young drinkers,” she explains.

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