1097 kg of Ivory Found in Hollowed Timber
SEEJ-AFRICA THUMBNAIL:
- December 21st, 2016, Kenyan law enforcement seized just over one ton of ivory inbound for Cambodia.
- The 1097 kg of ivory valued at 197 million shillings was hidden in hollow wooden planks and declared as ceramics.
- The shipment had actually cleared Mombasa and was returned from Singapore after 6 other lined seizures in Vietnam and Cambodia.
- Many of the pieces of ivory had red ink marks – an indication that they had previously been seized.
- The consignment originated from DRC/South Sudan and crossed into Uganda through the border point at Elegu by truck. According to the Bill of Lading, the place of delivery was indicated by the exporter as Sihanoukville in Cambodia and country of origin was indicated as Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Ephantus Gitonga Mbare was charged on 23rd December 2016 at a Mombasa Court with two counts of illegal wildlife trade
- The case was concluded on 25th April 2019 and Ephantus Mbare acquitted. The court indicated that there were poor investigations and the real culprits were not brought before the court.
- This one seizure was directly related to nine other seizures all going to Vietnam and Cambodia from Mombasa, Mozambique, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.
| FILE | CF 2511/2016 Mombasa |
|---|---|
| SEIZURE DATE | December 21st, 2015 |
| LOCATION | Mombasa, Kenya |
| LISTED DESTINATION | Thailand and Cambodia |
| SEIZED WEIGHT | 1097 kg |
| SEIZED DESCRIPTION | 335 pieces |
| OTHER CONTRABAND | Not Applicable |
| POINT OF ORIGIN | DRC/South Sudan |
| POINT OF ORIGIN DNA | Central and North Tanzania, South Kenya, Uganda |
| TRANSIT POINTS | Kampala, Mombasa |
| VALUE | 109.7 Million shillings |
| COVER LOAD | Hidden in teak beams - ‘fabricated lumber pieces' |
| DECLARED AS | Timber |
| EXPORTER CONSIGNOR | Lukiza Limited, Torit Imatong State, South Sudan, Ispina Trading Company Limited, Uganda (previously known as E.A. Investments |
| IMPORTER CONSIGNEE | HP Overseas, Gandhidham Gujarat India; Cam Transit Import Co Ltd, Phnom Penh |
| CLEARING AGENT FREIGHT FOWARDER | Chickways (U) Limited, Kampala Quickline International Limited, Mombasa |
| SHIPPING AGENT | Evergreen Gulf Badr Group |
| SHIPPING LINE_SHIPS | MV Nelson 320E, MV Ever Delight 104W |
| CONTAINERS/MODE OF TRANSPORT | 1. HMCU 3053447 x 20’ 2. EMCU 3946508 x 20’, Containers provided by Evergreen Gulf Badr Group - shipping lines agents in Kenya and Uganda, Roshana Enterprises arranged transport between Kampala and Mombasa |
| ASSOCIATED VEHICLES | 1. UAJ 460/CG09557 AB19) (Ugandan reg.) 2. CE 637E/CE640E (SSD registration) 3. Railway car #0260 213 (Rift Vally railway) |
| CONNECTIONS | This shipment contained Burundi stockpile ivory. Other seizures that included the same were Entebbe March 2015, Kampala September 2016, Juba June 2016, Kampala February 2017 and Kampala January 2019. |
DNA Origins Map
