An Indian national was arrested at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA) in Zambia when he was attempting to smuggle foreign currency and suspected gold to Dubai, officials said on Sunday.

The country's Drug Enforcement Commission arrested the person during a joint operation conducted by it with other State Security Agencies (SSAs).

The arrested person was identified as Aamir Soeb Patel (27).

Officials recovered USD 2,320,000 and seven pieces of gold, with an estimated value of USD 500,000, from his possession.

"Investigations into the matter are ongoing and once concluded, the general public will be informed of the outcome," the Drug Enforcement Commission said in a Facebook post.

"The DEC wishes to warn those involved in trans-national organised crimes that the long arm of the law will catch up with them soon," the commission said.

The Commission urged people to desist from engaging in activities that undermine the social–economic development of our great nation.

"We further wish to invite all citizens to continue reporting suspicious activities so that by acting together, we can prevent, detect and combat crime," he said.

In 2023, five Egyptian nationals were arrested in Zambia in a plane that was carrying weapons, 127 kilograms (280 pounds) of gold and $5.7 million in cash.

They were released after the court dropped espionage charges against them.