DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 10 — Tanzanian authorities have uncovered an illegal mineral trading hub at a rented residential house in the port city of Dar es Salaam and arrested 14 suspects, a senior government official said Sunday.
Minerals Minister Anthony Mavunde said at a press briefing that the suspects were involved in smuggling minerals outside the country’s formal trading system and would be arraigned in court soon. Preliminary investigations indicated that a foreign national was involved in facilitating the illicit trade and had already been apprehended. However, the minister did not disclose the person’s nationality for investigative reasons. Mavunde directed security agencies to carry out thorough investigations to identify and arrest anyone else involved in the smuggling network. Authorities seized 174 grams of minerals, two X-ray fluorescence machines, weighing scales, gas cylinders, gold smelting equipment and chemicals, as well as cash amounting to 54.7 million Tanzanian shillings (about 20,000 U.S. dollars), all of which are now held by the government, he said.
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