Suspect arrested with wildlife trophies worth Sh5mn in Taita Taveta

Suspect arrested with wildlife trophies worth Sh5mn in Taita Taveta
Police recover wildlife trophies worth over Sh5 million in Taita Taveta County. /COURTESY

NAIROBI, Kenya, mar 5 – Police have recovered wildlife trophies worth over Sh5 million in Taita Taveta County.

During the intelligence led operation by a joint team of Serious Crimes Detectives and the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau, one suspect was also arrested.

“The 40-year-old man was seized in Taveta township trading in pangolin scales worth Sh5 million and elephant tusks with a street value of Sh400,000,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations stated on its twitter account.

According to the investigative agency, the suspect was arrested following a sting operation on Friday afternoon.

Pangolin scales which fetch a fortune in the black market are normally used for spiritual protection and financial rituals, making the mammal one of the most trafficked in the world.