By Charles Mkoka
Tanzanian authorities have seized 4.4 kilograms of gold worth more than Tsh1.24 billion in a major anti-smuggling operation, with the government warning that offenders will face permanent exclusion from the country's mining sector.
Minister for Minerals Anthony Mavunde said the gold was intercepted by security agencies on July 25 in Kiluvya, on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, while being transported outside official trading channels.
According to the ministry, the seized gold was valued at Tsh1,238,408,594.42 and its illegal movement would have deprived the government of approximately Tsh108.4 million in taxes and other revenues.
"The gold has been confiscated and transferred to the Bank of Tanzania in accordance with the law," Mavunde told reporters.
He said the seizure formed part of an ongoing campaign by a multi-agency task force established by the Ministry of Minerals to combat illegal mineral trading and cross-border smuggling, practices he said continue to undermine government revenue.
Mavunde urged miners, dealers and other industry participants to comply with mining laws and conduct transactions only through the country's 117 mineral buying centres and 44 official mineral markets.
"Anyone found in possession of minerals without the required authorization and outside the official trading system should understand that those minerals are government property and will be confiscated," he said.
The minister said investigators believe the suspect transported the gold from Kahama to Dar es Salaam and suggested the shipment was not an isolated incident.
He directed the task force, working with the police, to identify and prosecute everyone involved in the supply chain, including those suspected of receiving the smuggled gold in Dar es Salaam.
"We must deal with the root of the problem. Arresting couriers alone is not enough. We must identify those who finance and receive these illegal consignments," Mavunde said.
He also announced stricter administrative penalties for offenders, saying any licensed mineral dealer found participating in illegal trade would have their dealer's licence revoked and be permanently blacklisted from conducting business in Tanzania's mining sector.
The government has intensified efforts in recent years to formalize mineral trading, curb smuggling and increase revenue from the country's mining industry, one of Tanzania's leading sources of export earnings.
