POLICE SEIZE 29.9KG OF GOLD AND $200,000 HIDDEN IN THE DOOR PANELS OF A TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
POLICE have recovered 29.9 kilograms of gold and USD 200,000 from a Chinese couple based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The gold, confirmed by experts from the Ministry of Mines, and the money, authenticated by officials from the Bank of Zambia, were found concealed within the door panels of the vehicle.
The recovery follows an operation dubbed ‘Kutwa,’ aimed at combating Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Inspector General of Police Graphel Musamba said in a statement that the successful recovery was based on credible intelligence received on August 12, 2024, indicating that a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado with a Zimbabwean number plate was suspected of transporting precious stones.
He said acting swiftly on the information, police impounded the vehicle, driven by Zhao Changson, aged 58, and accompanied by Zhao Yanjing, aged 46, both Chinese nationals.
“A thorough search of the vehicle was conducted on August 13, 2024, by a joint team of police officers from Police Headquarters and Lusaka Division. The search led to the discovery of 29.9 kilograms of gold and USD 200,000 in cash, concealed within the door panels of the vehicle,” Mr Musamba said.
He said when the suspects were interviewed, they denied any knowledge of the recovered items, with Ms Zhao Yanjing claiming that she had purchased the vehicle less than two weeks ago and was unaware of the hidden contraband.
The IG said further investigations revealed that the suspects are Chinese nationals residing in Harare, Zimbabwe, where they are engaged in the business of selling fencing wire.
He said the couple stated that they were in Zambia to visit an unnamed friend.
“The gold and money have been securely stored as exhibits as investigations continue,” Mr Musamba said.
Mwebantu
Most of our brothers n sisters from the other side of the planet Earth hide behind fake businesses but engage in secret deals ,stealing our wealth .How many times has the couple been here in Zambia ? Journalists must go deeper .The culprits might have been crossing into Zambia perpetually to steal Gold.Borders have data on those guys …
Modern china is made up of crooks and is not like the previous communist china under Chairman MAO who built and constructed our Tazara and the Tazama pipeline from Dares Salam to Ndola almost free in the 70’s . Do you remember that during Kaunda era and when chairman Mao of china was still alive we used to have Chinese Doctors being assigned to work in Zambia in kabwe and Luanshya at no cost at all every 2years.?.The current china is capitalist and has crop of criminals and tricksters working in Africa on pretext that they are investors.They problem again is that we Africans still have inferiority complex and we are too poor and we think and trust that what ever is white or coloured is always genuine business .We need to work up and screen these chinese criminals that have infested most of our Africa countries in the name of investors otherwise we will wake up one day and find all our minerals gone.
Why Zambian security services have been so slow to realise that a lot of Chinese residents in Zambia are engaged in illicit trades beats me. I hope this will lead to change of attitude. However, there’s a bright side to Chinese criminality. When they get caught, they tend to admit their guilt without going through a lengthy trial.