Five-Day Regional Crackdown Nets K23.3 Million Haul as 72 Illegal Immigrants Held in Lusaka

A coordinated multi-agency security sweep across five provinces has dealt a severe blow to transnational criminal syndicates, netting a staggering K23.3 million haul in smuggled commodities, wildlife products, and intercepted motor vehicles. The intensive five-day operation, designated as part of the regional USALAMA initiative, pooled resources and intelligence from the Zambia Police Service, the Department of Immigration, the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), alongside regional policing bodies. Authorities revealed that the clampdown, which ran from October 5 to 9, targeted strategic smuggling corridors and urban distribution nodes in Lusaka, the Copperbelt, Eastern, Southern, and Western provinces. Among the most striking recoveries were massive consignments of illicit goods, including thousands of bricks of cigarettes and tens of thousands of bottles of assorted alcoholic beverages that had evaded crucial customs duties, costing the treasury substantial revenue. Furthermore, vigilance at border points and checkpoints led to the impounding of high-end vehicles flagged on the Interpol database as stolen from outside the country, alongside local seizures of expired temporary import permits. The operation also laid bare the persistent threat of illegal wildlife trafficking plagging the sub-region. Operatives intercepted protected trophies, including raw elephant ivory, pangolins, leopard skins, and bushmeat, resulting in multiple arrests across residential townships and rural outposts. Environmental and wildlife protection advocates have repeatedly warned that transnational poaching rings exploit porous borders and localized economic vulnerabilities, making multi-agency intelligence-led interventions critical to dismantling these underground networks. Concurrently, the Department of Immigration maintained a heavy footprint in the capital, detaining 72 foreign nationals for various immigration breaches, inclu