He faces
charges under the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe Act.
Cao was granted
US$100 bail, ordered to surrender his passport and remain at his registered
Zimbabwean address.
The court heard
that Cao arrived in Zimbabwe from China on a business visit permit valid until
March 1 this year.
During his
stay, he was hosted by Edgar Sibanda at 1347 Rydale Ridge, Harare, and had
booked accommodation at 76 Drew Road, Kambanje, Harare.
On Friday, at
about 11.30am, Cao collected three packets of mineral samples from an
undisclosed location.
He put them in
his luggage and went to the airport to board Ethiopian Airways Flight ET 873 to
Addis Ababa, en route to Beijing, China.
As his luggage
was scanned at the airport, a suspicious object was detected.
An official
from the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (acz) alerted detectives from the CID
Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit Harare, who were stationed at the international
departures section of the terminal.
Upon
inspection, three mineral ore samples were discovered hidden among his clothes.
Cao was unable
to provide any documentation for the mineral samples, leading to his arrest.
The samples
were subsequently sent to the Institute of Mining Research laboratory at the
University of Zimbabwe for analysis, confirming that they consisted of calcium
and magnesium ores. Herald
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