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Arrest of rhino horn smugglers welcomed

14 Jun 2017

Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has welcomed the arrest of two people and the recovery of 10 rhino horn valued at R2.8m at OR Tambo International Airport.

The two alleged rhino horn smugglers were arrested on Sunday, 11 June, after six rhino horn were discovered in the one man’s travel bag by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs officials. An inspection of a second travel bag led to the discovery of four more horns.

“The arrest of the two individuals who were flying out of South Africa to Hong Kong is further confirmation of the success of the multi-disciplinary law enforcement effort being undertaken to combat rhino poaching and wildlife crime under the umbrella of the Integrated Strategic Management of Rhinoceros,” said Molewa.

The matter is currently being investigated by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations.

Molewa said the multi-disciplinary approach to battling rhino poaching has delivered a number of successes recently. In the past two months alone, 50 people have been arrested, and 13 rhino horn, two elephant tusks and 19 hunting rifles recovered during operations directed at ending rhino poaching countrywide.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

SAnews.gov.za is a South African government news service, published by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS). SAnews.gov.za (formerly BuaNews) was established to provide quick and easy access to articles and feature stories aimed at keeping the public informed about the implementation of government mandates.

Go to: http://www.sanews.gov.za