Rhino Poaching: Arrests, Prosecutions & Sentencing

[Toko]

http://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeec ... p?nid=4362

Media Statement from Western Cape Media Centre
Corporate Communication
South African Police Service

Cape Town: A 32-year-old Chinese national was arrested at Cape Town International Airport on Nature Conservation and Marine Coastal Resources Acts charges yesterday, Wednesday, 24 March 2015. The suspect was en-route to Durban when the Border Police- anti-smuggling team apprehended him. He was found in possession of five kilograms of rhino horn and chucked abalone. The suspect is currently in custody and will appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court once he has been charged.

Media enquiries: Captain FC Van Wyk - 082 302 9906 wcmedia@saps.org.za

[Richprins]

Chinese!

[Lisbeth]

I wonder how many NOT Chinese get away with it Being a Chinese he must be rather doff to try

[Flutterby]

St. Cloud State professor arrested, accused of smuggling ivory, rhinoceros horn

Article by: PAUL MCENROE , Star Tribune Updated: March 31, 2015 - 11:21 PM

To his students at St. Cloud State University, Yiwei Zheng was merely a contemplative professor who lectured on Chinese religions and the existentialist philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre. He was popular on campus and had once served as president of the Association of Chinese Philosophers of North America.

But to federal wildlife agents who had been watching him for years, Zheng was a secretive dealer in Chinese antiquities who profited from an international black market for carved ivory and other rare objects.

On Tuesday morning, Zheng was arrested at a St. Cloud restaurant by agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, accused of smuggling elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn out of the United States and into China from 2006 through at least 2011.

Zheng’s arrest followed the unsealing of a grand jury indictment that accuses him of violating the U.S. Endangered Species Act and international treaties protecting threatened wildlife. Later in the afternoon, he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven E. Rau in federal court in St. Paul and was ordered to surrender his passport, then released on a $25,000 bond.

Zheng, a naturalized U.S. citizen who grew up in Shanghai, China, has operated an online sales business out of his St. Cloud home called Crouching Dragon Antiques since 2010, according to court documents. Often using eBay as his marketing base, Zheng offered wildlife specimen parts and carved objects, describing them as made from “ox bone.”

But agents suspected they were actually made from carved elephant ivory that Zheng was smuggling to China, according to a federal search warrant.

The indictment says that Zheng also illegally imported specimens from endangered species into the U.S. from China and made false statements to agents about selling rhino horns.

Agents say at one point Zheng told them that he sold the horns to a man at a McDonald’s restaurant in St. Cloud, but in fact he illegally exported the horns to a co-conspirator in China, according to the indictment.

While the dollar value of the items was not disclosed Tuesday, federal agents said the amount was significant and that it is the first such case in Minnesota, sending a message that they are on the lookout for illegal international traders who profit from protected species.

“We take one person out and we get the benefit of deterrence,” said Patrick Lund, special agent in charge of the wildlife service’s St. Paul office.

“It’s not like a drug dealer where one is taken out and another steps in. It requires specialized knowledge, and you’ve got to know the trade.”

St. Cloud State spokesman Adam Hammer said Zheng, who has taught there since 1999, is expected to resume his classes this week and will be treated with due process pending the outcome of his court case.

Rampant poaching

Since 2011, federal agents have been conducting a national crackdown — Operation Crash — targeting traffickers in what they say is a multibillion-dollar international poaching network that is decimating iconic species in Africa and Asia.

The operation was given its name because “crash” is the term used to describe a herd of rhinos. Lund said Zheng’s case was developed independent of the national investigation.

Elephant ivory and rhino horn have been internationally regulated since 1976, with more than 173 countries signing a treaty to protect imperiled wildlife, fish and plants.

In the past five years, rampant poaching across Africa and Asia has led to skyrocketing prices in the international black market for ornamental carvings on the tusks and rhino horns, as well as for powdered horn that is reputed in some cultures to have medicinal purposes, ranging from fighting cancer to enhancing sexual potency in men.

The market is so lucrative that it has drawn organized crime groups that control poaching operations from the field to final sales — providing everything from weapons to GPS tracking systems to logistical support for smuggling tusks and horns across international networks.

[Lisbeth]

It seems to be getting worse and worse At least they catch someone from time to time

[Toko]

Four Kruger Park poachers found guilty

2015-04-10 19:47


Mbombela - Four men who entered the Kruger National Park with the intention of hunting rhinos have been found guilty.

Patrick Ngwenya, 28, from Marite village, Sibusiso Mpangane, 26, and Thulani Mchunu, 31, from Mkhuhlu village and Charles Zitha, 29, from Nyongane village, were convicted when they appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court on Friday.

They were found guilty of possession of illegal firearms, ammunition, trespassing and carrying out a restricted activity in the Kruger National Park (KNP).

The four were arrested by rangers on December 7 2010, while hunting in the KNP.

They had all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A fifth accused, Bongi Mliba, was fatally shot during an exchange of gunfire between the suspects and the rangers.

A 9mm pistol, an R5 rifle, ammunition and an axe were recovered from the scene.

During judgment, Magistrate Andre Geldenhuys the evidence from two rangers who were on patrol that day was that they had spotted five suspicious-looking men, from a distance of 2km, walking inside the park.

"The rangers were in a high point and they did not lose sight of the suspects. They said two of them carried long rifles, one a bag and another an axe. The men were approximately 1.2km from the fence," he said.

The magistrate said hat after the rangers shouted at them to stop, the suspects fired on them.

"The rangers said after they fired back, the men started running in different directions. Some threw down something which looked like firearms. The rangers called for backup and a helicopter soon arrived to assist in the chase," he said.

Trail of blood

Geldenhuys said two other witnesses who were in the helicopter testified that they saw four men splitting up while being chased by rangers.

“Two men took the same direction towards the fence and the others another. The helicopter circled around, until three of them were apprehended outside the fence, next to a dam.

“A fourth suspect, who was wounded during the shootout, was arrested inside the park. The R5 rifle was found about six metres from where he lay,” the magistrate said.

He said Ngwenya, in his defence, denied involvement in the case.

“You said you were fishing at the dam, where you were caught. You had fish in your bag which you caught. You said you first saw accused two and three in police cells. You were misleading the court. Why was there no mention of the fish line, nets and fish you caught?” he asked.

Geldenhuys said the witnesses were not challenged by Ngwenya's defence about that. He said Mpangane also lied that he was also caught fishing with Ngwenya at the same dam.

“Mchunu said he was looking after cattle outside the park, when he got shot and arrested. He was pointed out by his co-accused which direction he took.

“The rangers found a trail of blood, followed it and found him. The R5 rifle was lying next to him. You were never shot while outside the park, and then dragged inside and arrested,” he told the accused.

He said the 9mm pistol was also revealed by the other three accused.

“If it wasn't for you, no one could find it. It had fallen deep in a dense bush. Mliba was also shot during the shoot-out with the rangers. Unfortunately he passed away,” he said.

Geldenhuys said the rangers impressed the court and were credible in their evidence.

“The rangers never changed their statements. They also did not intend to incriminate the accused. Their evidence is admissible,” he said.

Geldenhuys said the court was satisfied and believed without doubt that all the accused acted with a common purpose in mind, to hunt rhino for their horns.

He found all four equally guilty on all charges they faced.

The case was postponed to April 22 for sentencing.

[Moggiedog]

The following three scum bags appeared in the Pretoria magistrates court this morning

Captain Mandla Khumalo (Crime Intelligence)
W/O Ntsikagomzi Saliwa
Ethelbert Radebe

Warrant Officer Mothupi, who in the West Rand Dog Unit was the handler of a sniffer dog trained to detect rhino horn and his accomplice Warrant Officer Khumalo of the Honeydew Crime Intelligence Gathering appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court recently and were granted bail of R15 000 each.
Captain Khumalo and his other accomplices Ntsikagomzi Saliwa, 30, and Ethelbert Radebe, 42, appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on the same day (Friday 27 February) where they were also granted R15 000 bail each.

Case postponed 'till the 20th May 2015

Thanks to Allison Thomson for the update as unfortunately I was unable to attend but I will be at court tomorrow morning.

If any one has the time and is in the area please come through to the Kempton Park magistrates court for the start of the trial of YAHN MINH NGUYEN and XUAN LUC NGUYEN arrested at OR Tambo airport in their possession 4.5 million rand worth of Rhino Horn. Both were denied bail and are currently behind bars

[Moggiedog]

YAHN MINH NGUYEN and XUAN LUC NGUYEN case postponed - but some good news - one of the horn has been linked by DNA to a poaching in Kruger on 4th October 2014. Prosecution waiting for the DNA tests from the other 7 horns.

[Toko]

'Arrogant' rhino poachers each get 15 years in prison
2015-04-22 18:13

Mbombela - Four Mpumalanga men convicted of trespassing and illegal hunting in the Kruger National Park were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment each.

Patrick Ngwenya, 28, from Marite village, Sibusiso Mpangane, 26, and Thulani Mchunu, 31, both from Mkhuhlu village, and Charles Zitha, 29, from Nyongane village, were sentenced when they appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court on Wednesday.

They were found guilty of trespassing, carrying out a restricted activity in the game reserve and possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.

State prosecutor Isbet Erwee said poaching related crimes were prevalent in the regional court.

"The court is aware of the increase of such cases in the past four years. Since July last year until February, cases of rhino poaching were high in the Kruger National Park and some carcasses have still not been found," she said.

Erwee said 34 rhino poaching cases were recorded in July last year, 75 in August, 60 in September, 27 in November, 66 in December, 49 in January and 22 in February.

“A total of 53 firearms, 228 ammunition, 42 axes, nine vehicles and 20 rhino horns were seized during the arrests. In each poaching group arrested there were two or more firearms, knives and axes,” she said.

The prosecutor said since the arrest of the four accused in court, poaching had increased in the Kruger Park.

“This is despite attempts and further attempts in actively handling poaching operations, or convictions of suspects. But still, people don't seem to listen. When the rhinos are killed, they only take the horns and not the meat,” she said.

Erwee said the accused showed no respect for the law and they also intimidated witnesses.

“Unfortunately we have no proof whether it was the first time they hunted illegally in the park or not. They were well organised, armed with firearms for the crime with a place for entering.

“The rangers have to be thanked for their level of handling poaching... with helicopter on standby. These men are from the country and they are a disgrace as it is commonly foreigners from Mozambique who usually commit such crimes,” she said.

She said it was high time that Mozambicans were educated from an early age about the dangers of poaching.

'Arrogant, disrespectful and greedy'

Magistrate André Geldenhuys said the crime was well planned as each of the accused had a weapon, meaning they all acted with a common purpose.

“As society is against the killing of rhino, they expect the courts to give sentences that would deter others from committing similar offences and prevent it. You fired a shot at the rangers, a clear indication you planned to kill them. Although the State could not prove you were hunting for rhino, it is clear you were hunting for it by carrying firearms and an axe,” he said.

Geldenhuys said the Kruger Park was the hardest hit by rhino poaching in the country.

“You show no remorse. You even tried misleading the court. You are arrogant, disrespectful and greedy. You were working for a syndicate and you obtained the firearms illegally.

“You are sentenced to five years each for count one. Count two and three will go together and the sentence is 10 years each, meaning a total of 15 imprisonment in jail each,” he said.

All four have been declared unfit to possess a firearm.

[Richprins]

Unfortunately another Moz suspect walked out of court here this week as the state witness didn't pitch up!