Sudanese authorities seize gold bars at Khartoum airport

Sources in Sudan say gold smuggling is on the up Sudanese customs officials at Khartoum airport have thwarted an attempt by two passengers to smuggle 10 kilograms of gold bullion out of Sudan. The gold, hidden inside a couple of shoes, was worth more than 2.5 billion Sudanese pounds ($500m).
Acting Director of Customs, Major General Hafiz Saleh was quoted as saying that the alertness of customs officials led to gold being seized.
The Director of Customs at Khartoum airport, Brigadier General Azhari Ibrahim Osman attributed the arrest of the defendants to the good training and high qualification of customs police officers, along with advanced modern equipment and surveillance cameras used by the Customs department to detect smuggling.
An anonymous source at Khartoum airport revealed attempts to smuggle large quantities of gold abounded in recent times as a result to extensive exploration for gold in different locations of the country.
The source added that quantities of gold are marketed at home but the largest quantities are smuggled outside through the airport or other border crossing points.
He concluded by adding that the Sudanese authorities will not tolerate "smuggling crimes" considering that gold has become the first source of foreign currency after loss of South Sudan Petroleum revenues.