Mbanza Kongo - Two artisanal rafts, which were allegedly used to smuggle fuel in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), were destroyed on Wednesday by the Border Guard Police in the commune of Luvo, municipality of Mbanza Kongo, province of Zaire.
These are a type of floating buoys made from empty drums lined with bags and installed on the banks of the Luvo River (in clandestine areas), which separates the border of the municipality of Mbanza Kongo from the Central Congo region (DRC).
The information was provided to the press Thursday by the spokesperson for the Zaire Provincial Command of the National Police, intendant Luís Bernardo, highlighting that the destruction of the aforementioned rafts is the result of a routine patrol carried out by border guards along on the left bank of the Luvo River.
“They are artisanal rafts manufactured, allegedly, by citizens of the neighboring country, for the illegal crossing of fuel and other goods”, explained the source. However, ANGOP knows from a reliable source that there are more than six artisanal rafts along the Luvo River, bordering the DRC, that operate 24/24 hours.
According to the same source, to cross the river, the supposed smugglers pay a fee of 500 kwanzas for each 25-liter container loaded with fuel, to the owners of the buoys. The border commune of Luvo is
60 kilometers north of the city of Mbanza Kongo, capital of the province of Zaire. J.L./TED/DOJ
