Angolan authorities seized a massive quantity of quartz at the country’s largest port, narrowly preventing its illegal removal, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reports.
A total of 3,000 tonnes of the mineral were prevented from being shipped out of the country according to Manuel Halaiwa, a spokesperson for Angola’s Criminal Investigation Service (known by the Portuguese initials SIC), who spoke to media on Friday. The operation began with a tipoff and is part of ongoing efforts to protect the country’s mineral resources in the face of smugglers.
Quartz is a valuable critical mineral, used in the manufacturing of products like solar panels, digital devices and other electronics. Its purest form is also vital for producing silicon, another critical mineral, which is used in everything from construction materials to medicine to lasers.
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Angola allowed limited seasonal exports of quartz before enacting a blanket ban last August. By keeping the highly sought-after mineral in the country, the country aims to promote local processing capacity to boost economic development.
However the value of quartz, particularly as global demands soars, has made the mineral a frequent target for illegal trade. The SIC has partnered with the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas to crack down on trafficking.
Halaiwa told the press that no arrests have been made yet while stressing that this is not the first seizure. Previous operations have targeted illegal mining activities conducted at clandestine sites across the mineral-rich country.
