Kitale police seize elephant tusks worth Sh1.4m
By Osinde Obare | September 10th 2020 at 01:57:04 GMT +0300
Police in Kitale have impounded elephant tusks weighing 14 kilos and arrested one suspect. The three pieces seized by the officers is worth Sh1.4 million.
Detectives posing as potential buyers of lured the suspect into their trap in Kitale. Local County Commander Mr. Ayub Gitonga said the suspect Eric Ngilaton has been on police radar before his arrest on Wednesday evening.
The elephant tusks, the official said is suspected to have originated from West Pokot County.
“We set a trap after we received intelligence reports that the suspect was in possession of the consignment and we dispatched officers to pose as potential buyers. We managed to arrest him in Kitale,” Gitonga told journalists.
He suspected that the tusks were secured from a game reserve in West Pokot or Turkana counties. He warned that security agents are working closely with Kenya Wildlife Service to counter threats from poachers sneaking into game parks in the region.
The suspects, Simon Otieno [an administration police officer], Wycliffe Ndiema Solomon Kibet were nabbed while ferrying the tusk valued at Sh 800,000 using a motorcycle.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Kenya Wildlife Service intelligence officers arrested the suspects along Endebess-Kitale road.
