Angola Border Police: 554 Arrested in Luvo Operation 'Arrasto 26'

Mbanza Kongo — at least 554 citizens, including nationals and foreigners, have been arrested in recent days by the Border Guard Police in the border municipality of Luvo, in Zaire Province, as part of Operation 'Arrasto 26'. According to the commander of the 3rd Border Guard Police Unit in Mbanza Kongo, Deputy Commissioner Agostinho Muanzunga, who spoke to the press on Monday during the presentation of the results of the operation - which took place from the 21st to the 24th of this month - of the total number of those detained, 500 are citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in an irregular migration situation and 54 are nationals accused of various crimes. According to the official, during the period in question, the Border Guard Police in Luvo recorded 166 various offences, of which 152 were border violations, nine were tax evasion, two were environmental offences and one was the export of petroleum products. During the micro-operation, he said, 23 motorbikes were seized which were being used to transport goods and people to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) via clandestine routes. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines Five washing machines were also seized and considerable quantities of kitchen utensils, orthopedic mattresses, four bags of flip-flops, machetes, hoes, and 45 trunks. The commander reiterated that actions of this type will continue along the Luvo border with the Central Congo region (DRC) to discourage illegal immigration in the region. Regarding the detained immigrants, Agostinho Muanzunga said that they were referred to the Migration and Foreigners Service (SME) in the region for the necessary procedures, while the nationals allegedly involved in fuel smuggling were handed over to the competent authorities. As for the merchandise, the commander stressed that it was deposited with the General Tax Administration (AGT) in the village of Luvo for proper handling. The border municipality of Luvo is located 60 kilometers north of the city of Mbanza Kongo, the capital of Zaire province. JL/DAN/DOJ Read the original article on ANGOP . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.