Australian company Scout Aerial Media and Surveyingwas awarded a contract worth nearly $3m by theZimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) on 5 November toprovide an anti-smuggling surveillance drone system.While the final bid for the tender was launched in April,ZIMRA had already started the process of acquiring thedrones in September 2020. The aircraft are intended tobe the centrepiece of a new strategy to combatsmuggling, mainly of gold and tobacco (AI, 11/09/20). Itis estimated that gold smuggling alone is worth morethan $1.5bn a year, even though foreign currency inflowsfrom the sale of the metal are a crucial part of thecountry's fragile financial situation.
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