Fifteen Arrested in Wildlife Crime Crackdown

Fifteen people have been arrested in separate incidents involving wildlife crimes connected to a pangolin, elephant ivory, a leopard skin and game meat valued at more than K867,000. Inspector General of Police GRAPHEL MUSAMBA said cigarettes worth K14 million were also confiscated during a joint security operation conducted across five provinces. Mr MUSAMBA said the operation targeted Lusaka, Copperbelt, Western, Eastern and Southern provinces as part of efforts to combat organised and transnational crime. He disclosed that the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) also seized assorted alcoholic beverages worth more than K8 million and impounded three motor vehicles whose import permits had expired. Mr MUSAMBA added that three other vehicles, including a Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, were impounded after being identified as stolen in other countries and illegally smuggled into Zambia. He said the joint security operation formed part of the SADC-led “Usalama-12” initiative, which targets transnational criminal activities across the region. Meanwhile, Mr MUSAMBA said a number of undocumented immigrants were apprehended in Lusaka, including 33 Burundians, 14 Tanzanians, 18 nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo, two Malawians, and one national each from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, China, Somalia and Rwanda.