Police in Mitooma district western Uganda has arrested 2 men found in illegal possession of 24 hippo teeth & 12 elephant tusks.
The duo were on April 15,2022 picked from Mitooma Guest house in Ward IV Mitooma town council Ruhinda county,during an intelligence-led operation.
The suspects have been identified as Marembo Baker,34,hailing from Kashenyi village Kashenyi parish Ngoma sub-county Ntungamo district, Muhwezi Robert,53,a tailor from Kinesa village Kakyenkye parish Nyakashenyi sub-county Rukungiri district.
Police sources have confirmed to Rise News Uganda that their leader, a one Gumoshabe Abdul,43,hailing from Rubaare II Kagango ward Rubaare town council Rushenyi county Ntungamo narrowly escaped and is currently still at large.
By press time, they were still detained at Mitooma police station, charged with being in possession of protected wildlife species under case number CRB: 200/2022.
Authorities including Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA continue to warn the public against poaching which leads to loss of wildlife and revenue.
For the years 2020 & 2021, UWA registered about 367 poaching cases annually, a double increase during COVID-19 lockdown & curfew.
In 2019, the Uganda Revenue Authority-URA conducted a law enforcement operation targeting a Vietnamese wildlife trafficking network, seized 3.2 tonnes of ivory and 423kg of pangolin scales with an estimated value of $2.3m (Shs8.2b) & $1.2m (Shs4.3b) respectively.
Uganda-South Sudan border customs officials at Elegu discovered and impounded the consignment in 3 containers concealed in logs of wood & wax in transit from the Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC to Asia.
Prosecuted cases involving seizures of pangolin scales gradually increased as per UWA prosecution reports, from 7 in financial years 2018/2019 to 8 in 2019/2020 & 10 in 2020/2021.
Rise News Uganda on TWITTER – https://twitter.com/RiseNewsUganda/status/1515261119803314177?s=20&t=hYtF1Ad6PTJPNHcU0-Hr1A
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