Zambia Convicts Copper Miner Over Concentrates Declared as Cement
Zambia · MINING
Key Facts
- —Zambia The southern African country depends on copper: copper and cobalt made up 74.3% of export earnings in January 2026, according to the Zambia Statistics Agency, so export duties on the metal matter for public revenue.
- —The company Avocado Mining Limited runs a copper processing plant in Kalulushi, Copperbelt Province. Environmental regulator ZEMA has shut the plant over sulphur dioxide pollution and in September 2026 approved a trial run after abatement equipment was installed.
- —What happened On 22 September 2026 the company pleaded guilty to 10 counts of attempted smuggling before the Economic and Financial Crimes Court Division of the Kitwe Subordinate Court and was convicted, the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) said on 27 September.
- —The cargo In July 2025 it tried to export 13 consignments of copper concentrates, valued for duty purposes at more than K23.9 million (about US$1.27 million), declared as Portland cement on 13 bills of entry. The export duty involved was K4 million (about US$212,000).
- —The penalty The court fined the company K100,000 (about US$5,300), payable by 30 September 2026. Separately, it has paid K5.4 million (about US$286,000) in assessed duty and penalties and K1.5 million (about US$79,500) in prosecution costs.
- —Why it matters For exporters, clearing agents and investors in Zambian mining, misdeclared cargo now leads to criminal conviction on top of back duties, and the ZRA says it will keep prosecuting.
- —Still open Whether the fine is paid by the 30 September deadline, and whether the ZRA brings similar cases against other exporters. ZEMA’s environmental oversight of the plant is a separate matter.
A Zambian court has convicted Avocado Mining Limited after the Copperbelt copper processor pleaded guilty to trying to export copper concentrates declared as Portland cement, the Zambia Revenue Authority said.
The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has secured the conviction of Avocado Mining Limited, a copper processor based in Kalulushi, for trying to smuggle copper concentrates out of the country as Portland cement. The company pleaded guilty on 22 September 2026 before the Economic and Financial Crimes Court Division of the Kitwe Subordinate Court, the ZRA said in a statement issued in Lusaka on 27 September.
The Lusaka newspaper News Diggers reported that the ZRA and the company had signed a plea agreement in the case. Dollar figures in this article use the 25 September 2026 closing rate of about K18.87 to the US dollar.
What the Avocado Mining smuggling case involved
The case dates to July 2025, when Avocado Mining tried to export 13 consignments of copper concentrates. On 13 bills of entry, the company declared the cargo as Portland cement, according to the ZRA.
The consignments were valued for duty purposes at more than K23.9 million (about US$1.27 million), and the export duty involved amounted to K4 million (about US$212,000). The court convicted the company under Section 149(a), read with Section 155, of the Customs and Excise Act, Chapter 322 of the Laws of Zambia.
The court imposed a K100,000 (about US$5,300) fine, payable by 30 September 2026. The ZRA said Avocado Mining has also paid K5.4 million (about US$286,000) in assessed duty and penalties and reimbursed the State K1.5 million (about US$79,500) in prosecution expenses, and that those payments are separate from the fine.
Why copper misdeclaration matters in Zambia
Copper is the backbone of Zambia’s economy. Traditional exports, copper and cobalt, accounted for 74.3% of total export earnings in January 2026, according to the Zambia Statistics Agency. Declaring copper concentrates as cement takes that cargo outside the duty net.
“Smuggling and deliberate misdeclaration undermine revenue collection and disadvantage compliant businesses,” ZRA Manager for Corporate Communications Oliver Nzala said in the statement. He said the authority would keep using intelligence-led operations, risk-based inspections and post-clearance audits to detect customs offences.
“Where offences are established, ZRA will pursue appropriate enforcement action, including prosecution,” Nzala said.
The company behind the Avocado Mining smuggling plea
Avocado Mining is already known to regulators in Kalulushi, a town in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province. The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) cited the plant in October 2024 for environmental breaches, including sulphur dioxide emissions without approval, and issued a cease-and-desist order in November 2024, News Diggers reported.
Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe told Parliament in November 2024 that the government had suspended the plant’s operations. ZEMA shut the plant again in November 2025, and in September 2026 approved a trial run after the company installed pollution abatement equipment, according to News Diggers, which has described the firm as Chinese-owned.
The guilty plea in the customs case does not settle ZEMA’s oversight of the plant’s emissions. The two matters run through different regulators.
The wider customs enforcement push
The same ZRA statement reported a second case: on 18 September officers seized two Toyota Land Cruisers at the Kafue checkpoint after finding they had been misclassified. Only K192,000 (about US$10,200) had been paid against a tax bill of more than K2.3 million (about US$122,000).
The Avocado Mining case was heard by the Economic and Financial Crimes Court Division in Kitwe, the country’s main Copperbelt city. The ZRA pursued the matter as a criminal prosecution, not only as an administrative duty claim.
For companies in Zambia’s mining supply chain, the case is a reminder that export documentation must match the actual cargo. The cost of getting it wrong now includes a criminal conviction, not just back duties.
What the conviction means for mining investors
The conviction resolves the criminal charges against Avocado Mining in this case, and the duty, penalties and prosecution costs have already been paid. The K100,000 (about US$5,300) fine itself is still due by 30 September.
The fine is small next to the K5.4 million (about US$286,000) in duty and penalties already paid. The larger cost for the company is a criminal record in a sector where export licences and regulatory goodwill matter.
For international investors, the case shows the ZRA taking customs fraud in the mineral trade to court. That supports governance, and it raises compliance stakes for smaller processors as well as large miners.
What to watch next in Zambia’s copper enforcement
The immediate deadline is 30 September 2026, when the fine falls due. After that, attention turns to whether the ZRA brings similar cases against other exporters.
Zambia’s copper earnings are central to the national budget, and the ZRA has said it will keep using the courts where offences are established.
For readers following the contest over critical minerals, Zambia’s copper is a strategic asset. Tighter customs enforcement is part of a wider effort to capture more value from it, a theme explored in Africa: The New Scramble.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Avocado Mining plead guilty to?
Avocado Mining pleaded guilty on 22 September 2026 to 10 counts of attempted smuggling before the Economic and Financial Crimes Court Division of the Kitwe Subordinate Court, which convicted the company.
How much was the fine in the Avocado Mining smuggling case?
The court imposed a K100,000 (about US$5,300) fine payable by 30 September 2026. Separately, the company has paid K5.4 million (about US$286,000) in assessed duty and penalties and K1.5 million (about US$79,500) in prosecution costs.
What was Avocado Mining accused of smuggling?
In July 2025 the company tried to export 13 consignments of copper concentrates, valued at more than K23.9 million (about US$1.27 million) for duty purposes, declared as Portland cement on 13 bills of entry.
Connected Coverage
Sources
- Zambia Monitor: ZRA statement on Avocado Mining conviction
- News Diggers: ZRA, Avocado Mining sign plea agreement
- Mwebantu: ZRA secures mining firm conviction
- News Diggers: ZEMA grants Avocado Mining approval for trial run
- News Diggers: Govt closes Chinese firm for illegal processing of copper
- News Diggers: ZEMA shuts Avocado Mine, arrests directors again
- Zambia Monitor: copper contributes 74.3% of total exports
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