Skip to main content

Photos: Ivory Coast's anti-smuggling unit seizes $800m haul of elephant tusks, pangolin scales from Nigeria, Gabon, Mozambique, Uganda

                             Photos: Ivory Coast
Authorities in Ivory Coast have seized around 600 kg of elephant tusks and 600 kg of pangolin scales have been seized in Ivory Coast, ready to be sent to Vietnam and other Asian countries.
Head of Ivory Coast's anti-smuggling unit, told reporters last Thursday that six suspects were arrested in the operation lasting several days, that aimed to dismantle a major trafficking network.
"The ivory was ready for export to Vietnam. The ... pangolin scales were destined for Asia," - said Adomo.
Photos: Ivory Coast
The unit said two of the suspects came from Ivory Coast and one from Guinea, and that the ivory had come from as far afield as Gabon, Nigeria, Mozambique and Uganda.
The anti-trafficking group EAGLE, which worked with the authorities, said two of the suspects were from Vietnam and one from China.
Photos: Ivory Coast
The tusks were valued at $450,000 and the pangolin scales $350,000 on the black market, authorities said.
The pangolin, a small, armadillo-like mammal, lives in forests in Ivory Coast and West Africa. Global trade in them is banned under a UN convention, but their scales are prized in some Asian countries for use in traditional medicine.
-Additional report by Reuters

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Two teenagers arrested for raping 14-year-old girl in Ogun State

                            Two teenagers, Abiodun Ishola (19) and Kehinde Oloyede (18), have been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in Obantoko. The Command Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the suspects were arrested April 28, 2018 following a complaint from the victim who reported to the police. He said the victim, a hairdressing apprentice, said she was going to her boss’ shop on that day, and unknown to her, there was restriction of movement due to a sanitation exercise. He said one of the suspects, Ishola, who was sitting down in front of his father’s house informed her of the restriction of movement and asked her to come and stay in their house till the exercise ended. The victim told the police that while she was staying with Ishola, he took her bag inside...
Post a Comment
Read more

police arrest Pastor for allegedly raping teenage girls during a deliverance session in Anambra state

  Pastor Chukwudi Chukwumezie of the Mountain Zion deliverance Ministry, Ugamuma village, Obosi, has been arrested by men of the Anambra state police command for allegedly luring and having unlawful carnal knowledge with two fifteen years old girls under the false pretence of conducting deliverance prayers for them   A statement released by Haruna Mohammed, spokesperson of the state police command, said in August 2019, the accused clergyman was arrested for allegedly luring and having unlawful carnal knowledge with a fifteen-year-old girl at a hotel along Eze iweka road Obosi under false pretence of making a deliverance prayers for her.     Haruna said the victim to the hospital for medical Examination where penetration and laceration of her hymen were confirmed by the medical doctor after which suspect was charged to Court for prosecution.     According to the statement, the clergyman who presently jumped court ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Police arraign disbarred lawyer for alleged fraud

                                 A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Gudu, Abuja on Thursday remanded a debarred lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye, who runs a popular Facebook page, “Due Process Advocate”, in prison following his arraignment by the police. Mr Ugwuonye was arraigned on a 10-count charge of extortion, impersonation, injurious falsehood and false information. He was accused of extorting money from the family of a woman he falsely alleged was killed by her estranged husband. One of the charges reads: “That you Ephraim Chukwuemeka Ugwuonye (m) on or about May to date, at diverse places in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did commit illegal act to wit: extortion by threat of accusation of an offence punishable by death, when you intentionally extorted monies and other valuables fr...
Post a Comment
Read more