By A Correspondent- Security Chiefs in Zimbabwe reportedly met in connection with increasing reports of smuggling of precious metals thereby prejudicing the nation of billions of United States dollars.

The meeting was held following the arrest of Ms Henrietta Rushwaya the (suspended) president of the Zimbabwe Mining Federation (ZMF) after she tried to smuggle 6kgs of gold to Dubai.

Sources who spoke to Zim Morning Post said the security chiefs deliberated on the possibility of cancelling licences of some gold buyers.

The sources said: In a no-holds-barred-meeting, the security chiefs made it clear that smuggling has become a security threat and if not addressed it may further cripple the economy which is already on its knees.

Investigations which were presented in the meeting point to a situation where hundreds of people are now holders of gold buying licenses issued by Fidelity Printers and Refiners.

Several people who have been found in possession of gold quickly produce these gold buying licences and are eventually set free.

A decision has already been arrived at. In the coming weeks several licences will be cancelled and stakeholders will be vetted before another certificate is issued.

Zimbabwe is reportedly losing billions of dollars through smuggling of minerals.

At some point, the late former president Robert Gabriel Mugabe claimed that diamonds valued at US$15 billion.-ZimMorningPost