DRC: Three Chinese sentenced to seven years in prison for illegal mining

Three Chinese citizens were sentenced Tuesday to 7 years in prison and ordered to pay $600,000 in fines for illegally exploiting mineral resources in Congo, according to court filings.

The ruling marks the first time foreign mineral brokers have been convicted for unauthorized mineral exploitation in the DRC without authorization from Congolese authorities.

The defendants were also found guilty of fraud, money laundering and looting. It…