Ten Individuals, Including Foreign Nationals and Zambian Resident, Apprehended in Confiscation of Over $5 Million in Cash and 600 Gold Pieces

Ten individuals, including nine foreign nationals and one Zambian citizen, have been apprehended due to their involvement in the confiscation of over $5 million in cash and more than 600 pieces of gold. This operation also resulted in the seizure of firearms and the grounding of two aircraft.

The Director-General of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Nason Banda, shared these developments during a press conference held recently in Lusaka.

"DEC received information that a chartered plane carrying illegal goods had landed at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport on August 13th, 2023, at 19:00 hours. Acting promptly on this intelligence, DEC, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, initiated an operation on Monday, August 14th, 2023, at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport," he explained.

Mr. Banda further stated that the commission had taken possession of the International Express T7-WW plane, where the illicit items were discovered, along with another aircraft belonging to a local carrier known as King Air B190.

He mentioned that a total of ten suspects, including a Zambian citizen, are currently in custody, awaiting further investigations.

Regarding the political affiliations of the detained Zambian individual, Mr. Banda refrained from providing explicit details. However, he emphasized that the individual is indeed of Zambian nationality.