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Kenyan police nab suspected ivory smuggler, discover 39 tusks

Xinhua, March 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenyan police on Tuesday arrested a suspected ivory dealer and recovered 39 elephant tusks from his house.

Director of Criminal Investigations (CID), Ndegwa Muhoro, said the 35-year-old Thomas Muhoro Ngatia, was arrested after police raided his house in Ruiru region, some 25 km east of the capital Nairobi.

Police say Ngatia is a suspected member of a transnational ivory-smuggling ring.

"The house is believed to be owned by Ngatia's sister who lives in Holland," Muhoro said, adding the ring included Nigerians who poach elephants.

The police are yet to establish where the suspect planned to transport the ivory.

Residents said the suspect usually came home late in the night and "operated alone".

Muhoro said experts from the Kenya Wildlife Service would test the recovered ivory to find out the origin of the slain animals.

Kenya has been identified as a major transit route for smuggling ivory out of Africa. Endit