Suspects ‘selling’ elephant tusks nabbed in sting at Festival Mall

Two foreign nationals were arrested at Festival Mall after being found in possession of six elephant tusks on Wednesday morning.

This was after the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Unit, together with the Crime Intelligence and metro police’s Swat Team, set up an entrapment operation following information received about suspects allegedly selling elephant tusks.

The tusks’ estimated street value is just over R60 000.

“We organised the operation where we got our ‘buyers’ to ‘buy’ the tusks. After the transaction, we apprehended the suspects aged 33 and 50,” said Capt Ndivhuwo Mulamu, spokesperson for the Hawks in Gauteng.

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• Three nabbed with elephant tusks near Festival Mall

“The suspects face charges of contravention of the National Environmental Management-Biodiversity (NEMBA) Act 57 of 2009.”

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