The Rwanda National Police marine unit on Monday arrested a man who was smuggling about 330 kilogrammes of coltan through Lake Kivu.

Patrick Nyamwaba was arrested at about 8am on Blasselie shores in Rubavu District, Police said.

Police spokesperson for the Western Province, Inspector of Police Eulde Gakwaya, said the intercepted smuggled minerals have since been handed over to the Revenue Protection Unit (RPU), a police arm attached to Rwanda Revenue Authority charged with fighting fraud and smuggling.

"Monday is a market day in Rubavu, and it’s normal that both Rwandans and Congolese bring their goods for sale through Lake Kivu, and these goods on boats are checked by Police on arrival at the shores of Blasselie,” Gakwaya said.

"During routine search, officers found that Nyamwaba had stashed in his luggage 330kg of coltan in one of the canoes and posed as a trader, and was immediately arrested and the illegal luggage seized,” he added.

He said they are still investigating claims by the suspect that he was working on behalf of another trader. They also want to find out if there is any other person connected to the smuggling.

This comes about a month after the marine unit also intercepted other 800kg of cassiterite and arrested the prime suspect.

Jean-Malic Kalima, the president of the Rwanda Mining Association (RMA), said that although smuggling or illegalities within mineral business are not alarming, there is need to set the bar high to prevent its increase and reverse the current trend.

"We appreciate the collaboration and the role Police plays in enforcing the law on illegal mineral business. These black markets can pose a big problem to investors,” Kalima said.

Rwanda National Police, through its Environmental Protection Unit (EPU), has been instrumental in fighting smuggling and enforcing the law, preservation of environment through environmental education, practical interpretation of the environmental laws, officials say.

Mining is one of Rwanda’s major revenue earners, fetching about $166 million. Wolfram prices increased by about 40 per cent last year.

"There are intermediate traders, who are unauthorised and unlicensed dealers who buy minerals directly in concessions. There is need for advocacy and a new justice structure to revise or reinforce the law to send out a strong message to unlawful dealers,” he added.

Any person who receives or exports minerals and quarry substances without authorisation, under Article 440 of the Penal Code, is liable to a term of imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of two times the amount of the value of the received or exported substances.

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