#20. CF 417/2013 – Over 3 tonnes of ivory bound for China seized in Mombasa

January 14th, 2013 - 3827 kg of ivory found amongst a consignment of mazera stones

Kenyan Authorities charged Fredrick Sababu Mungule (a clearing agent), James Ngala Kassiwa (a Kenya Revenue Authority officer) and Gideon Natali Onsinyo Nyangau (a Kenya Ports Authority employee) relating to this shipment.
They were also charged with a 1323 kg ivory seizure made in Hong Kong on January 3rd. These charges are represented by court files CF 255/13 and CF 417/13 and still ongoing in Mombasa court. (see also #14)
The same three, with the addition of another Kenya Revenue Authority officer, Nelson Ayoo, were also charged in relation to a 1833 kg seizure made in Singapore on January 23rd that had originated in Mombasa. That case is being tried separately as CF 754/13 and is also presently ongoing. (See #122)
The same transport company (and same drivers) delivered the three ‘ivory’ containers to Mombasa port. It also delivered 3 more containers of ivory to Mombasa port in 2015 (see case’s #40 and #118)
The Kenya logistics for all three January seizures were identical apart from consignee’s, including cargo cover load.
Fredrick Sababu Mungule was identified as the clearing agent and facilitator of a 2033 kg ivory shipment seized in Thailand in March 2011 but was never charged. (see #124)
DNA analysis of this shipment showed the origin of the ivory to be from Tanzania and Kenya.

DNA ivory origins 2/3 Tanzania and 1/3 Kenya. Two tusks in this shipment were directly matched (the tusks from the same elephant in 2 different shipments) to two tusks in an ivory seizure made in Dubai four months later. That shipment had originated in Kampala and transited Mombasa. (courtesy Center for Conservation Biology – Samuel K. Wasser et al)

FILE	CF 417/2013 Mombasa + (255/13 Mombasa)
SEIZURE DATE	January 14th, 2013 (Monday)
LOCATION	Mombasa
LISTED DESTINATION	Batam, Indonesia (but believed to actually have been China)
SEIZED WEIGHT	3827.5 kg (ETIS)
SEIZED DESCRIPTION	638 Tusk pieces
OTHER CONTRABAND	None
POINT OF ORIGIN	Mombasa
POINT OF ORIGIN DNA	70% of ivory from central and north Tanzania and 40% from south and central Kenya
TRANSIT POINTS	Thailand
VALUE	ksh 382,750,000.00
COVER LOAD	Mazera Stones
DECLARED AS	Decorative Stones
EXPORTER CONSIGNOR	Ngindo General Trading Company Mwaliko (Mwalilo) Trading Company
IMPORTER CONSIGNEE	1. PT Summer All Co(F)., 2. PT Alam Daya Cammo (F), 3. PT Kundur Prima Karya Komp (F)=ficticious
CLEARING AGENT FREIGHT FOWARDER	Threeways Freighters Ltd; Mwamba Freight Services and/or Fredrick Sababu Mungule
SHIPPING AGENT	East African Commercial and Shipping Company Ltd
SHIPPING LINE_SHIPS	MV Lal Bahadur Shastri
CONTAINERS/MODE OF TRANSPORT	20' FSCU7615602
ASSOCIATED VEHICLES	KSM783 (lorry) delivered the container
CONNECTIONS	1. This seizure has the same logistics as the Jan 3rd seizure in Hong Kong (#7) and the Jan 23rd seizure in Singapore (#122). That includes the same drivers who took the containers with ivory to port. 2. Those same drivers also drove the 'ivory' containers to port regarding the two "Sheikh's" seizures in April and May 2015 (#32 and #125). 3. There was a direct match between tusks found in this shipment and the seizure made in Dubai 5 months later (#1).

In these diagrams, the blue dots represent, (through DNA analysis), the origins of the ivory. The upper right corner represents this seizure and also shows that ivory from the same elephant was found in a Dubai seizure that occurred 5 months later. The Dubai seizure also had ivory from the same elephant found in a Mombasa seizure in October 2013 (lower left). [Courtesey Sam Wasser et al, Centre for Conservation Biology]

KRA officials cleared sh100m ivory haul

By WESONGA OCHIENG

CONTROVERSY has erupted over the Sh100 million worth of ivory consignment netted at the Mombasa port on Tuesday night.

Reports that emerged hours after the consignment that was en route to Indonesia confiscated at the Mombasa port indicated that Kenya Revenue Authority officials knew how the container entered the port. The 638 pieces that were butchered from an estimated 300 elephants were intercepted two weeks after about 12 elephants were killed at the Tsavo national park by poachers.

KRA officers connected the 20-feet container marked FSCU7615602 to another 20-feet container marked GESU1271362 that was intercepted in Hong Kong last month.

Papers indicated that the container’s shipping and clearing agents facilitated the cargo intercepted in Hong Kong.The consignment exporter falsely declared that the container was holding decoration stones.The exporter has been identified as Mombasa’s Ngindo general trading limited, while the consignee has been named as PT Kandur Prima Karya Company of Indonesia. The exporter of the Hong Kong-bound consignment is Mwaliko General Trading Company limited.

The marked clearance agents of the two containers are Three ways Freighters and Mwamba Freight Services and the shipping company marked as East African Commercial Services Company Limited.

KRA Port side Deputy Commissioner Gitau Gitau said after receiving the information from their Nairobi office, officers tracked down the container at the port.

Gitau said: “We have launched investigations into the alleged owners of the consignment. We have already contacted our revenue protection police on the ground and soon we shall track them down.” “The clearance agents and trading companies involved in this dubious business will be taken off our Simba system with immediate effect as investigations continue,” said Gitau.

But the Star later learned that KRA officers at the Kenya Ports Authority deliberately allowed the container with fake papers into the port to deliver export goods. A senior officer at KPA narrated how their clerk salvaged the container before it almost got into MV Lalbahadur Shartstri 006E that was on the way to Indonesia via Colombo.

A letter from the shipping company seen by Star and sent to KPA Managing Director later still insisted that the consignment be put on the next ship for Hong Kong. “Please be advised that container number FSCU 7615602 under shipping order: 23670 was left behind by Mv Lalabahadur.