Three Chinese nationals have been arrested with 12 gold bars and $800,000 (£650,000) in cash in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say.
The gold and money were hidden under the seats of the vehicle they were travelling in, according to Jean Jacques Purusi, the governor of South Kivu province.
He said the operation to arrest the men had been kept secret after the recent release of another group of Chinese nationals accused of running an illegal gold mine in the area.
Eastern DR Congo has abundant reserves of gold, diamonds, and the minerals used to make batteries for mobile phones and electric vehicles.
This mineral wealth has been plundered by foreign groups since the colonial era and is one of the main reasons why the region has been plagued by instability for the last 30 years.
Militia groups control many of the mines in eastern DR Congo, and their leaders become wealthy by selling it to middlemen.
Purusi said some of these dealers in precious metals enjoyed good relations with influential people in the capital, Kinshasa, and this was why the mission to carry out these latest arrests had to be kept quiet
He said they had been acting on a tip-off and that the gold and money was only found after a meticulous search of the vehicle in the Walungu area not far from the border with Rwanda.
He did not say exactly how much gold had been seized.
BBC/Shakirat Sadiq
Comments are closed.