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.
