ALERT security personnel at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola on Sunday intercepted a foreigner as he allegedly tried to smuggle precious stones and base metals with traces of gold out of the country. The consignment was concealed as a comb and tea bags in a suitcase. The suspect had base metals with traces of gold, palladium, nickel, manganese and precious stones, all weighing 1.5 kilogrammes.
Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) corporate communications manager Topsy Sikalinda told a media briefing yesterday that the seized minerals are worth over K150,000, except for precious stones whose value is yet to be determined by experts. Mr Sikalinda said the suspect, whose name he could not disclose but is male, was arrested as he tried to board a flight.
He said the consignment was intercepted when ZRA customs officers working with other security agents noticed suspicious objects when they scanned the suspect’s luggage. Mr Sikalinda said after investigations, it was established that the arrested individual was the mastermind of a syndicate which smuggles precious minerals out of the country.
He said more precious stones were found on the passenger after a further search. “It was discovered during the search that there was a consignment concealed in the suitcase as medicine, tea bags and a comb,” he said. Mr Sikalinda said when officers requested for customs declaration documents from the suspect, he failed to produce any of the papers.
He said failure to produce declaration documents contravenes section 48 of the Customs and Excise Act. Mr Sikalinda appealed to members of the public to follow the right channels when exporting minerals and precious stones out of the country. “We want to make it crystal clear that ZRA will not tolerate any form of smuggling or tax evasion by any individual or company,” he said