Two arrested for possession of 77 kilos of elephant ivory
Police display the illegal ivory seized from suspects.
Two suspects were arrested in Maralal, Samburu County on Tuesday after they were found in possession of 36 elephant ivory trophies weighing 77 kilograms.
The duo, both aged 32, were identified as Edward Lemerimug and Logisa Letiyo and were found hiding the tusks in Lodero area on the outskirts of Maralal town along the Maralal-Kisima road.
A multi-agency team comprising detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Samburu Central and Kenya Wildlife Service, Maralal Station, moved to the area on information that the suspects were dealing in elephant ivory and arrested the two men.
The two were then escorted to Maralal Police Station and their exhibits by KWS Maralal Station personnel.
They will appear in court today (Wednesday, November 15) and will be charged with possessing wildlife trophies of endangered species in contravention of Section 92(4) of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013.
This comes exactly three months after a police officer from Tutwa Police Station, Harrison Gitonga Kanake, and a civilian identified as Hassan Galgalo were arrested in Meru for possessing wildlife trophies.
A vehicle they were using was intercepted by a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) security team on 12 August 2023.
A thorough search revealed 23 elephant tusks hidden in bags weighing 79.6kg with a street value of Sh12 million. A pair of handcuffs and a police baton were also recovered.
