Police trap ivory dealers with 2 sacks of elephant...

Police trap ivory dealers with 2 sacks of elephant tusks

Zim Now Writer

Acting on intelligence received, police arrested three men who were in possession of ivory worth US$4480 at a point where the dealers were supposed to meet the buyer.

“The police received information on 19 January 2024 around 7pm to the effect that the accused persons were in possession of elephant tusks in Lupane and wanted to transport them to Bulawayo where they intended to sell them,” said Bulawayo spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube.

“On 20 January 2024 at around 5am the police proceeded to Umguza tollgate where the accused persons were supposed to meet with the intended buyer. They spotted the accused persons disembarking from a truck carrying two sacks with ivory inside it,” Ins Ncube said.

He said Jabulani Dube, 41, Dedani Sibanda, 33, and Dumisani Tshuma, 30 were found in possession of two sacks with elephant tusks intending to sell them in Bulawayo.

The accused persons got off a truck that was on its way from Hwange en route to Bulawayo when the police approached them.

“The police detectives then requested to search the accused persons and their two 50 kilograms sacks. They then recovered five pieces of unmarked raw ivory in one of the sacks and seven pieces of unmarked Ivory on the other sack,” said Ins Ncube.

The international trade in African elephant ivory has been banned since 1989 when poaching was threatening the huge mammals wit extinction.