Dundo – The defense and security bodies in the north-eastern province of Lunda-Norte have seized 998 diamond stones of different carats, during a micro-operation, due to mining and illicit trafficking of the strategic mineral.
The information was provided on Monday by the head of Institutional Communication and Press of the Provincial Command of the National Police in Lunda-Norte, Domingos Muanafumo, highlighting that the diamonds were seized in the municipality of Lucapa.
Without specifying the number of citizens involved in the crime, he said that the seizure of the mineral resulted from a criminal intelligence investigation.
He said that during the operation, ongoing since the beginning of this year, the exit of 9,685 liters of fuel was frustrated in the municipality of Cambulo (diesel and gasoline), whose destination was the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), whose perpetrators of the smuggling are already detained.
He highlighted that the seized diamonds and fuel will be included in the criminal case against the alleged perpetrators and forwarded to the Public Prosecutor's Office for subsequent steps.
On the other hand, he reported that 574 DRC citizens were detained, all from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for attempted border violations in the municipalities of Chitato, Cambulo, Cuango, Caungula and Lóvua.
He added that the immigrants intended to settle in diamond exploration areas, to illegally mine as well as reach the country's capital, Luanda.
After the administrative procedures, he continued, the immigrants were immediately repatriated back to DRC.
The province of Lunda-Norte shares a 770 square kilometer border with the DRC, 650 of which are land and 120 by the river.
The micro-operation aims to combat illegal immigration, fuel smuggling, mining and illicit diamond trafficking and related crimes.
JVL/HD/CF/jmc
