Translated from the French by an automated online translation service, so please excuse the roughness. See link for the French original.
See link for photo & audio of article (in French)
The fight against ivory trafficking is becoming more and more successful, proof of the effectiveness of the organizations involved. And for good reason, the units of the judicial police and Water and Forests stationed in Lastourville in the province of Ogooué-Lolo, have just got their hands on an alleged wildlife offender. The individual was arrested on Tuesday, September 27 in possession of two ivory tusks, reports the daily L’Union.
The year 2022 remains a rich period in harvest for the agents of water and forests, the judicial police and the NGO Conservation Justice. Because numerous field raids have made it possible to put several wildlife offenders out of harm’s way. The latest fact to date, the arrest on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 of a compatriot in possession of two ivory tusks.
According to police sources, the alleged wildlife offender whose identity has not been revealed is an agent of a forestry company in the city of Lastourville. The latter would have marketed with several accomplices ivory in the locality. During his arrest, the suspect reportedly indicated that the owner of the ivory tusks was a well-known recidivist of the judicial services who had fled.
The alleged trafficker is currently being held in police custody in Lastourville pending his transfer to the special prosecutor’s office in Libreville. For the NGO Conservation Justice, this new case of wildlife crime confirms the conclusions of the report on the situation of pachyderms in Africa.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), African elephants remain globally in danger of extinction, with the exception of certain stable elephant populations such as in Gabon, which urgently need to be protected. According to the provisions of article 388 of the Criminal Code, the individual faces up to 10 years in prison.
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