Ivory traffickers arrested in Beira, Mozambique

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Ivory traffickers arrested in Beira, Mozambique

6:36 CAT | 27 Mar 2018

Photo: Folha de Maputo

The Mozambican police have announced the arrests of five people in illegal possession of ivory, in the central port city of Beira, according to a report in the Maputo daily ‘Noticias’.

One of those arrested is a senior member of the Beira branch of the rebel movement Renamo, Horacio Calavete, who refused to tell the police where the elephant tusks had come from.

Another of those arrested, a seller of artistic objects in Beira, but whose name was not given, said the group had intended to sell the tusks to a foreign buyer. A meeting with the buyer was fixed for a Beira hotel, but instead of the buyer, the police showed up and arrested the traffickers.

The Sofala provincial police spokesperson, Daniel Macuacua, told reporters the arrests were due to a tip-off. “Once we had the information, investigations began and culminated in the arrest of these five individuals accused of ivory trafficking”.

The police have also called in the public prosecutor’s office, the national criminal investigation service (SERNIC), and the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC). Macuacua said the investigations are continuing to track down anyone else involved in the trafficking ring.

Last week a trader was arrested in Marromeu district, on the south bank of the Zambezi, in possession of ivory. It is believed that these tusks came from elephants killed in the Marromeu reserve.

Source: AIM