Ambriz: A total of 132 citizens, aged between 18 and 60, were detained in the municipality of Ambriz, province of Bengo, as part of Operation "Gold Thread 2," which is being carried out by the National Police against illegal gold mining.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the citizens were detained in the localities of Kala Kamoco and Kinzove, in the municipality of Ambriz. They are suspected of committing crimes of illegal exploitation of strategic gold mines, criminal association, tax evasion, illegal entry and stay in the national territory, among others.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior in that province, Chief Superintendent Gaspar Lus In¡cio, noted that those detained include 20 foreign citizens from the DRC and 18 women. In the course of the operation, law enforcement seized 7 motorcycles, 6 generators, a water pump, a freezer, and 3 vehicles, and recovered a homemade hunting rifle.
Operation "Golden Thread 2" involves more than 300 National Police officers and aims to dismantle gold mining areas in the province of Bengo. Recently, 29 citizens died due to the collapse of an artisanal mine in the municipality of Nambuangongo while illegally mining for gold.
