By Kaya 959 Reporter
Police have arrested a 46-year-old man for allegedly transporting rhino horn pieces.
Gauteng police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Philani Nkwalase, says officers were tipped off about a parcel destined for Shandong, in China.
“The information was received from the cargo section at the OR Tambo International Airport. The parcel was allegedly declared as Ferrero and Cadbury chocolates,” he says.
A team from the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team was called in.
Nkwalase adds that officials from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment were also contacted after a security officer, operating scanners at the airport, detected a suspicious parcel.
“Upon examining the parcel, the team found six pieces of Rhino horns inside two chocolates boxes of Lunch Bar. A thorough investigation by the Hawks led to the arrest of the suspect and an undisclosed amount of money was found hidden under the driver seat of his vehicle,” Nkwalase says.
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Anti-Poaching Unit makes gruesome discovery
Earlier this month, a viral video of a badly injured white rhino was shared on social media.
The South African National Parks said the mutilated female rhino was found in the Kruger National Park.
She had been shot in the head and leg a few days before she was found. Poachers had also hacked off her horn.
Rangers then had to euthanise her due to the extent of her wounds and infections.
Kruger National Park’s Gareth Coleman said rhino sightings are a key reason why tourists visit the park and in doing so, contribute to the economy.
He appealed to the public to help law enforcement officials in bringing rhino poachers to book.
Just days before the harrowing find, two rhinos were killed and three others seriously injured at the Inverdoorn Game Reserve.
Officials found large calibre rifle rounds at the scene.
The four, including a pregnant rhino, were found by the 24-hour Anti Poaching Unit. The fifth was found a while later.
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