The Hawks Nelspruit have arrested five suspects aged between 34 and 58 following a sting operation that foiled an alleged attempt to sell a live pangolin for R500 000 in White River today, October 20.

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“At approximately 09:55, members of the Hawks’ Nelspruit Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI), acting on information received from a source, conducted a sting operation at a scrap metal business in Rocky’s Drift, where the suspects allegedly intended to sell the pangolin,” Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, Hawks spokesperson, explained.

The operation was conducted in collaboration with the White River K9 Unit, resulting in the successful arrests. Two vehicles, a Volkswagen Polo and a Toyota Etios, were seized and handed over to the Nelspruit Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit (VCIU) for further investigation.

The pangolin was also seized alive and handed over to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA). The animal was subsequently taken to a veterinarian for treatment and care.

The suspects are expected to appear before the White River Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, October 21, facing a charge of the conveyance of a live wild animal.

Pangolins are an endangered species. According to the non-profit organisation Africa Pangolin Working Group, all four African pangolin species are widely used in traditional African medicine, known as muthi.