Two men have appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court after being arrested during a sting operation for allegedly attempting to sell a pangolin trophy on the black market.
Tinotenda Chinaka, 24, and Elvis Murombo, 28, are facing charges of contravening the Parks and Wildlife Act.
The arrests followed an operation by detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department’s Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit, who acted on a tip-off that someone was in possession of pangolin scales and was looking for buyers.
According to the prosecution, on December 13, 2025, detectives received information that a suspect was in possession of a pangolin trophy. Investigators made contact using phone numbers supplied by an informer and arranged a meeting.
On December 16, undercover detectives posing as buyers met Chinaka near the intersection of Fifth Street and Robert Mugabe Road in central Harare.
Chinaka allegedly boarded the detectives’ vehicle carrying a black satchel, from which he produced the pangolin trophy, wrapped in plastic and a brown cement sack, and offered it for sale at US$2 500 per kilogram.
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Upon receiving a signal from the undercover officer, a backup team moved in and arrested Chinaka. He reportedly failed to produce a permit authorising possession of the protected species.
During questioning, Chinaka allegedly implicated Murombo as the supplier, stating that the trophy had been handed to him in Mutare for sale in Harare.
Acting on this information, CID MFFU officers in Mutare arrested Murombo at his workplace.
A Parks and Wildlife Authority expert, Everisto Simayo, later confirmed that the recovered item was a genuine pangolin trophy valued at US$5 000.
The two accused are expected to return to court on January 8, 2026.
Pangolins are listed as a protected species, and their possession or trade is a serious offence under Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Act.
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