Police arrested 43 people suspected of having illegally shipped 331 containers of used electronics to Africa over the past two years, the finance ministry said in a statement.
The network allegedly forged customs documents for the exported waste to make it seem that the containers held second-hand goods, in an operation valued at over 1.5 million euros.
Most of the trash was sent to Ghana, Mauritania, Nigeria and Senegal.
Africa has become a major dumping ground for discarded electronics from around the world, known as e-waste.
This is often burned to extract minerals such as aluminium and copper that can fetch a high value when resold.
Electronic devices and vehicle parts can contain cadmium, mercury, lead, arsenic and other substances that can harm the environment or human health when they are not properly handled.
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, is Copyright 1995-2026 Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principles for news reporting and research purposes. |
