Munyaradzi Mashiri- Court Correspondent
A 54-year-old Bulawayo man has appeared in court for allegedly supplying raw, unmarked ivory weighing over 235 kilograms and valued at nearly US$40 000 to wildlife traffickers.
Max Bloomton appeared before magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa facing charges of unlawful possession of raw unmarked ivory. Due to the gravity of the offence, the court advised him to apply for bail through the High Court.
He is expected to return to court on June 24, 2024.
According to the State, represented by prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti, Bloomton was implicated following the arrest of four alleged traffickers — Masauso Nevhaya, Priscilla Chabata, Wonder Bozho, and Stanford Mbiriyakura — who were caught with 41 elephant tusks on May 30, 2025. The four have since appeared in court.
Investigations revealed that Bloomton allegedly supplied the ivory to the group. He reportedly instructed Nevhaya to find buyers for the ivory in Harare. Nevhaya then engaged Chabata, and together they were allegedly given the ivory by Bloomton to sell.
The ivory was kept at Chabata’s residence while the group sought buyers. Bozho was later recruited to assist in sourcing clients, and Mbiriyakura allegedly provided transport for the ivory.
The operation was disrupted when police arrested the quartet. On June 11, detectives from the CID Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit in Bulawayo conducted a raid at Bloomton’s Cowdray Park residence, leading to his arrest.
The seized ivory was examined and confirmed to be raw and unmarked, weighing 235.2 kilograms and valued at US$39,984.
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