Breaking: Police Seize 15.7kg (US$1.57 million) of...

Breaking: Police Seize 15.7kg (US$1.57 million) of Gold in Smuggling Bust

ZimNow News Desk

The Zimbabwe Republic Police has foiled a major gold smuggling attempt, recovering 15.7 kilograms of gold worth US$1.57 million hidden in a Toyota Prado Land Cruiser.

According to a ZRP statement, detectives from the CID Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit acted on a tip-off received on 19 August 2025 that gold was about to be smuggled out of the country. The vehicle was tracked, leading to the arrest of three suspects.

The seized gold has since been secured at Fidelity Gold Refinery in Msasa, while investigations are ongoing.

Gold Smuggling in Focus

Zimbabwe has long struggled with illicit gold movements, often undermining formal exports and depriving the fiscus of vital foreign currency earnings. The latest bust adds to a string of massive interdictions in recent years:

1. Zambian Police Seizes 29.9 kg of Gold

In August 2024, two Chinese nationals residing in Harare—Zhao Changson, 58, and Zhao Yanjing, 46,—were intercepted by Zambian police in Lusaka with 29.9 kilograms of gold and US$200,000 in cash hidden in the door panels of their Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.
The vehicle bore Zimbabwean plates, and the suspects claimed ignorance. They were reportedly in Zambia on a social visit. The seized items remain held as evidence, with investigations ongoing.

2. Henrietta Rushwaya’s Case: ~6 kg Gold in 2020

In late 2020, Henrietta Rushwaya, then president of the Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation, was arrested for attempting to smuggle around 6–6.9 kg of gold out of the country.
She was later convicted in 2023, receiving a fine and a suspended sentence, a verdict that sparked considerable public criticism given the high value of the offense.