Three detained as police impound matatu ferrying elephant tusks.
By KNA
Police in Laikipia on Saturday impounded a matatu ferrying nine pieces of elephant tusks at Marina in Laikipia Central Sub County.
According to area Sub-County Police Commander (SCPC) Isaac Omarre, police together with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) personnel arrested three suspects with the ivory pieces weighing 50 kilograms.
The three suspects identified as David Mwara, Peter Ndiritu and Taracisio Mukere were trying to sell the ivory to the officers who posed as potential buyers.
“We have the three including the matatu driver in our custody, they were arrested by our officers and those from KWS while trying to sell the elephant tusks with an estimated street value of Sh3.3 million,” said Omarre.
The police boss said that his officers had been following leads about the contraband game trophies.
“We have been working closely with our colleagues from the Kenya Wildlife Service. We also thank members of the public for giving us crucial information leading to the arrest of the culprits,” added the SCPC.
The police boss said that the three suspects are held at the Makutano Police Post and will be arraigned in court on Monday.
“We are currently preparing their files and the charge sheet and we expect to arraign them in court on Monday,” he revealed.
Residents in the region have since been urged to work closely with police and KWS officers in the fight against poaching.
