Rhino Poaching: Arrests, Prosecutions & Sentencing

[Lisbeth]

It is shocking that he is still running around free as a bird with charges of murder, kidnapping and poaching

[Richprins]

Delaying tactics.

[Lisbeth]

Ten years is a long time

[Lisbeth]

Relief as court confirms conviction of notorious rhino poaching gang

By Estelle Ellis• 25 November 2020


Protesters gather at the Makhanda High Court as a Full Bench of judges hears the appeal of the Ndlovu Gang, which has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for rhino poaching. (Photo: Sue Maclennan / Grocott's Mail)

More than four years after their arrest, a Full Bench of the Makhanda High Court this week confirmed the conviction and 25-year sentence of the notorious Ndlovu gang, believed to be responsible for the death of several rhinos over a number of years.

“Relief is probably the best word to describe it,” Dr William Fowlds said this week after an appeal brought against their conviction by a highly successful rhino poaching syndicate, known as the Ndlovu gang, was dismissed by a Full Bench of the Makhanda High Court.

The ruling, handed down on Tuesday, was met by wild applause from rhino owners and conservationists who had attended court.

It has been four-and-a-half years since the arrest of Jabulani Ndlovu, Forget Ndlovu and Sibusiso Ndlovu, who after a lengthy trial were convicted on charges relating to 10 incidents of rhino poaching in the Eastern Cape — specifically in Albany, Jansenville, Graaff-Reinet and Cradock.

“They were so successful,” Fowlds said, “that we thought there must be a number of syndicates using the same modus operandi.”

Their last rhino, Campbell, was killed on Bucklands Farm in Albany in 2016. Four rhinos were killed on Koffielaagte in Jansenville in 2013, six were killed in three incidents between 2014 and 2015 on Mount Camdeboo, two were killed on the farm Klein Doornberg near Cradock and another three on Spekboomberg in the same district.

The men were each sentenced to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment.

Most of the rhinos died from the high dosage of tranquillisers used to dart them.

The men were arrested as part of a police operation dubbed Operation Full Moon on 17 June 2016 inside a chalet at the Makana Resort in Makhanda. During their arrest, the police found a horn that had been freshly removed, a dart gun, darts, tranquilliser, a saw, .22 blank ammunition, knives, a set of pliers, a drill, six cellphones and a SIM card.

The horn belonged to Campbell, whose DNA was found on the saw.

Despite having the same surname, the three men are not related.

Jabulani, 41, is married with five children. He lived in Edenvale, Johannesburg. He ran a business exporting goods to Zimbabwe. Born in Zimbabwe, he has been living in South Africa since 1997.

Forget, 39, lived in Pacaltsdorp in George and was raising and selling chickens when he was arrested.

Sibusiso, who lived in Motherwell in Port Elizabeth, was a taxi driver and installed aluminium windows.

Summarising the cellphone tracking evidence against them, Judge Jeremy Pickering wrote in his judgment as follows:

“It is relevant in this regard that [Jabulani] lives in Port Elizabeth; [Forget] lives in Pacaltsdorp, George; and [Sibusiso] lives in a shack in Motherwell, Port Elizabeth. They have no overt connection to Grahamstown/Makhanda, Cradock, Graaff Reinet or Jansenville. They were portrayed… as not being possessed of any appreciable assets although it was common cause that each owned or had access to a motor vehicle, a GTI Golf, a Toyota and an Audi.

“Despite this, the accused felt compelled every few months, when the moon was waxing full, to hire motor vehicles, including expensive models such as a Mercedes or an Audi, and to travel many kilometres from their homes in Port Elizabeth and George into the Eastern Cape hinterland, seemingly for no ostensible reason other than to drive around the Karoo and to SMS and phone each other at extremely odd hours of the day, night and early hours of the morning such as 1am or 3am in the vicinity of scenes and at times where rhino happened to be poached. The accused gave no explanation for their highly suspicious conduct in this regard and it is difficult to conceive what innocent explanation for such conduct might be.”

Fowlds said the case was ground-breaking in many respects. “We had a lot of firsts.”

He said it was the first time that cellphone tracking evidence was used in a poaching case to place the three men close to the crime scenes. He said it was also a first as they got to present very detailed evidence on dart gun ballistics.

Fowlds said that many in conservation circles were convinced that the men were involved in a number of other rhino poaching incidents, but as these were too long ago they did not have the evidence to charge them for it.

The men’s legal team asked a Full Bench of the Makhanda High Court to overturn their conviction on a technicality, claiming that the search and seizure by the police had been conducted without a warrant.

But Judges David Viljoen, Judith Roberson and Rob Griffiths dismissed their appeal.

“I am not aware of a single darting incident that happened after they were arrested,” Fowlds said.

Fowlds said that the same investigation team and state advocate Buks Viljoen will on Monday start a new trial for a group of men who shot the rhinos they poached.

“We really hope that this will go equally well,” Fowlds said. DM

[Alf]

I hope they forget you in jail

[Richprins]

Excellent news!

[RogerFraser]

https://lowvelder.co.za/712159/vietname ... l-airport/

Vietnamese woman nabbed with wildlife contraband at Maputo International Airport

The Kruger National Park spokesperson, Isaac Phaahla, said the park was aware of the seizure of the wildlife products and the arrest of the Vietnamese woman.



A massive cache of lion teeth, claws and rhino horns, valued at $300 000, was recently seized at Maputo International Airport in Mozambique with suspicions that some of the products originated from parks and reserves in South Africa.

Mozambique officials from the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) had their detection dogs at the airport on November 9 when one of the canines indicated their might be something illegal in the luggage of a Vietnamese woman getting ready to leave the country.

According to the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), the woman had tried to hide the contraband by covering them in aluminum foil and hiding them among piles of chocolates, perfumes and mushrooms.



The woman was arrested after she was found with lions teeth, lions claws and rhino horns among her luggage at the Mozambique airport earlier this month.

“Five individual rhino horns amounting to 4,3 kilograms, 36 lion teeth and 127 lion claws were seized,” said Will Powell, AWF director of Canines for Conservation programme.

Powell said it is suspected that the poaching crimes in relation to this smuggling incident took place in the provinces of Maputo and Gaza along the border with South Africa.

However, he added, “It is likely that the parts originated in South Africa and more than likely Kruger.”



ome of the lion claws found in the luggage of a suspected trafficker at the Mozambique airport.

“Investigations are currently ongoing,” he said. “ANAC said the value of that contraband is approximately 22 000 000 meticais which is USD $300 000 on the black market. The final price in Vietnam could well be higher than this.

“The woman was traveling to Ho Chi Minh. We are yet to receive further details of charges and court proceedings,” said Powell.


ANAC detection dog that found the parts at the Maputo International Airport.

He added that these wildlife parts are used for traditional oriental medicine in Vietnam and other parts of Asia. The demand for ivory has been the greatest driver of wildlife products that are smuggled from Africa to markets abroad.

“With seizures of over 225 000 kilograms of African ivory and over 4 500 African rhino horns in the past 10 years, Asian countries have been the main destination for these products,” he said.

The Kruger National Park spokesperson, Isaac Phaahla, said the park was aware of the seizure of the wildlife products and the arrest of the Vietnamese woman.

Some of the lion teeth found in the luggage of the Vietnamese woman.

He said the wildlife products seized would have to be verified by DNA results as kept at their bio bank in order to see if some of the products came from animals in the Kruger.

“We don’t want to assume that is the case as yet,” Phaahla said.

[Richprins]

[Lisbeth]

[Richprins]

@SANParksKNP
·
1h
1/2: SANParks announced the arrest of two suspected poachers in the Stolznek Section after two fresh dehorbed rhino carcasses were found by Rangers.
Kruger National Park
@SANParksKNP
Replying to
@SANParksKNP
2/2: The Rangers supported by the Airwing Unit made a follow up and arrested the two suspects, confiscated poaching equipment and a high powered hunting rifle.
The suspects will appear in court in due course to face numerous charges related to poaching
9:03 AM · Dec 3, 2020·