Mozambique: Poacher gets 30 years in prison after being found guilty of killing 42 lions
O País
In collaboration with Gorongosa National Park (PNG) rangers, police have smashed a three-man poaching gang in Sofala and seized six firearms – two AKM-type weapons and the others homemade – three chargers and more than 100 rounds of ammunition.
Two of the three members of the gang are in police custody, while a third member is on the run.
The poachers were captured inside the Gorongosa National Park. One of the detainees, contacted by this newspaper, claimed that he was a healer and was searching for herbal remedies to cure the other two individuals, and that he did not know that the bag of one of the supposedly sick men contained firearms.
Police say the individuals are members of a group of poachers who have at times operated in the Niassa reserve, in Marromeu, and in Gorongosa National Park in Sofala over the last two years.
Police spokesman in Sofala Daniel Macuácua explained that at the end of April, Marromeu reserve rangers grew suspicious of abnormal movements at various points and were on the alert.
The police said that the investigation and cross-checking data with other provinces suggested that the supposed healer was the ringleader, since he had already been detained for poaching in Niassa about two years ago but released for lack of evidence.
At the moment, further investigations are taking place in order to identify possible backers and buyers.
By Francisco Raiva
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