ZAMBEZI regional police arrested two Zambian nationals for possession of 15 elephant tusks in the Kapani area of the Linyanti constituency on Sunday.
The two Zambian nationals, aged 29 and 32, were part of a group of seven, however, five escaped with hunting rifles.
Regional police spokesperson inspector Kisco Sitali confirmed the arrest to The Namibian on Monday.
He said the suspected transnational armed poachers were intercepted while on their way back from Botswana with the elephant tusks.
“After our successful bust of 24 elephant tusks on Friday, we have intensified our joint security cluster operation in the area. It is now evident with these arrests that our suspicion was right that the poachers will continue to use the routes to smuggle the elephant tusks from Botswana to Zambia,” he said.
The police are hard at work to find and arrest the suspects who fled the scene, Sitali said.
Sunday’s arrests follow the bust of 24 elephant tusks on Friday, when a Namibian driver was arrested in the Batubaja area and seven Zambian nationals fled the scene.
The driver claims that he was only called to transport passengers but did not know that they were in possession of elephant tusks.
He is expected to appear in the Katima Mulilo Magistrates Court on Monday, while the suspects arrested on Sunday will appear in court this week.
BUSTED … Zambezi regional police arrested two Zambian nationals with 15 elephant tusks on Sunday.
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