Police foil terrifying arms smuggling bid as Mozambican duo caught with AK-47, pistols and horseman’s pick 

Malawi Police have made a chilling weapons discovery after arresting two Mozambican nationals caught attempting to bypass a security roadblock while armed with a terrifying arsenal, including an AK-47 assault rifle, multiple pistols and a horseman’s pick.

Julio Aromado, 25, and Steven George, 30, were dramatically apprehended at Kamuzu Bridge Roadblock in Chikwawa earlier today, 27 September 2026, after officers spotted the pair attempting to slip past checkpoint officials undetected.

According to a statement issued by National Police spokesperson Gladys Chiwaula, alert officers acted swiftly the moment they noticed the suspicious pair, moving quickly to make the arrest before recovering a disturbing cache of weapons.

“The two were arrested today, 27 September 2026 at Kamuzu Bridge Roadblock in Chikwawa where they tried to bypass the roadblock. When Police saw them, they impulsively managed to arrest the two and recovered the aforementioned weapons,” the statement revealed.

Among the haul recovered by police were an AK-47 rifle, two pistols, a Heckler and Koch firearm, a pound hammer, a panga knife and a horseman’s pick — a combination of weapons that will raise serious concerns over exactly what the pair may have been planning.

Police have since issued a stark warning to the public, making clear that illegal firearms and offensive weapons remain strictly prohibited, and that anyone caught in possession of such items will face the full force of the law.

The force also took the opportunity to remind Malawians that an ongoing amnesty period remains in place, offering members of the public a final window to voluntarily hand in illegal firearms to police without facing prosecution.

The dramatic arrest comes amid heightened concern over cross-border weapons smuggling and security along Malawi’s porous border regions, with authorities continuing to ramp up checks at key roadblocks in a bid to intercept illegal arms before they reach communities further inland.