Trio nabbed for ivory possession (Bulawayo)
Margaret Lubinda, News Day Zimbabwe
January 23, 2024
Police in Bulawayo have arrested three men after they found them in
possession of ivory worth US$4 480.In a statement yesterday, Bulawayo
police provincial spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube identified the
suspects as Jabulani Dube (41) of Lobengula suburb, Lupane, Dedani Sibanda
(33) of Masungamala village, Lupane and Dumisani Tshuma (30) of Shambula
village.
He said the trio was found in possession of ivory at the Umguza tollgate on
Friday last week after police received information that the three were in
possession of elephant tusks. Ncube said the trio was transporting the
ivory to Bulawayo for sale.
“On the January 19, at 7pm, detectives from CID Vehicle Theft Squad,
Bulawayo received information to the effect that the accused persons were
in possession of elephant tusks at Lupane and wanted to transport them to
Bulawayo where they intended to sell them,” Ncube said.
Police detectives reacted to the information and went to Umguza tollgate
where the suspects were supposed to meet the intended buyer. The suspects
were spotted as they disembarked from a truck coming from Hwange heading to
Bulawayo.
“The detectives then approached them and introduced themselves. The
detectives requested to search the suspects and their 2x50 kilogrammes
sacks. They recovered five pieces of unmarked raw ivory in one of the sacks
and seven pieces of unmarked ivory in the other sack. The suspects were
asked to produce a licence or a permit authorising them to be in possession
of the raw unmarked ivory and they failed,” Ncube said.
The trio was immediately apprehended, and police recovered ivory weighing
64 kilogrammes valued at US$4 480.
https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200022283/trio-nabbed-for-ivory-possession