4, including cop, up for possession of rhino horn

Zim Now Writer

Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi remanded in custody four, including o police officer attached to the Harare Central Police Station’s PISI section officer stationed at Harare Central Police Station PISI section after they appeared before him on charges of possessing 350 pieces of rhinoceros horn weighing 12,4kg valued at US$600 000.

Cleopas Tirishure Kacheya, Wang Yang, Jabulani Mthimkhulu and Weston Useya were charged with unlawful possession of parts of a protected animal and advised to apply or bail at the High Court because of the seriousness of their offence.

It is the State’s case that in October last year, Kacheya and Useya acquired a rhinoceros horn from Vosta Masasa in Chipinge. Masasa had been given the horn by Johane Guzha, the hunter who killed the animal in Chipinge Safaris.

THJey took it to Harare where they disposed of t.

Detectives from CID minerals, fauna and flora unit in Harare got wind of the transaction and apprehended Useya, who implicated Kacheya, Yang and Mthimkhulu.

On searching Mthimkhulu’s home, detectives also recovered a pangolin scale from his pocket, which earned him an extra charge of unlawfully possessing the scale.

Mthimkhulu told the detectives that Useya had brought the rhino horn to Harare, with Yang as the final buyer.

Yang was invited to Mthimkhulu’s house and searched upon arrival and two pieces of small rhinoceros horn were found in his car.

His Hillside home in Harare was searched and four plastics packets with rhinoceros horn pieces were found and recovered.

The packets contained 22, 86, 96 and 240 small pieces of horn while another nine large chunks of horn were also recovered from Chang’s house.