By Alex Gahima
Police in Kisoro District is holding three suspects after they were intercepted with illegal elephant ivory weighing up to 60Kgs in a sack.
The identity of the suspects was concealed to avoid jeopardizing investigations however vomuhabura.com has learnt that the suspects, all men are residents of Kanombe Village, Gisozi Parish, Muramba Sub County, Kisoro District.
What could have started out as an ordinary day for the three men ended with them being booked at Kisoro Central Police Station on the charges of illegal possession of endangered species.
Credible sources say the three men were intercepted along Kisoro-Bunagana Road at roadside guest house near Kisoro Hospital.
The security operatives driving in a silver-grey Toyota Pro-box accompanied by the Kisoro O.C Station Pious Asiimwe, intercepted the men during the morning hours and swiftly took them to the Police Station.
60 Kgs of Elephant Ivory was stuffed into a sack filled with sweet potatoes.
“The ivory had been cut into ten pieces and was hidden in a sack filled with sweet potatoes”, Police source.
According to one of the investigators, the ivory was removed from one mature elephant because two pointy ends among the ten pieces. The elephant was most probably killed from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda Wildlife Authority Spokesperson Hangi Bashir said he was not aware of the development. He noted that once more information has been gathered, it will be relied to the public in a timely manner.
Wildlife Elephants Uganda says there are around 5,000 elephants in Uganda today.
They are mostly found in the landscapes of Kidepo, Murchison-Semliki, and the Greater Virunga Landscape.
A 2021 newspaper article, titled Illegal ivory trade in West Nile pushes elephants to extinction suggests that a Kilogram of ivory costs $2,500 (about 8 million shillings) on the black market.
The main ivory resources are located in African countries including Sudan, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Somalia and Uganda.
The most concentrated smuggling destinations in Asia are Hong Kong and Japan who manufacture a range of items from ivory carvings to false teeth, piano keys, fans, and dominoes.
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