Two suspected poachers charged with ivory smuggling in Kenya

MOMBASA, Kenya, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Two suspected poachers were on Monday charged with smuggling of ivory worth over 50,000 U.S. dollars in Kenya's coastal town of Kwale.

The court, however, granted police ten more days to detain the suspects to enable them to complete their investigation. The duo faces 20,000 dollar fine each or more than ten years imprisonment if found guilty.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) deputy warden officer Nathan Gatundu said the two were arrested with ivory weighing 50 kilograms.

"The two had two pairs of ivory with one weighing 34 kg and the other one 16 kg. They were delivering the ivory to a buyer when they were caught," Gatundu said.

The incident gives an indication the illegal business in ivory is still rampant despite thorough policing and stiff penalties on those caught.

KWS, however, said the poaching cases have recently declined following intense patrols in national parks in the country.

The government has also prosecuted and successfully jailed ivory smugglers among them ivory kingpins Feisal Mohammed.

Mohammed was sentenced 20 years in jail after he was found guilty of possessing ivory worth 440,000 dollars in 2016. Enditem