Woman nabbed at airport trying to smuggle ivory out to China

From ThisDay
July 9, 2009


SAYUNI KIMARO
Dar es Salaam

FOUR suspects, including a self-described Dar es Salaam businesswoman and three airport officials employed by the Government, have been arrested at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) for allegedly trying to smuggle ivory and other Government trophies to China.

The woman, 27-year old Devota Kassolo, is said to have been caught with whole elephant tusks and carvings made from ivory stuffed into a suitcase and destined for the Far East.

Three employees of the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) - Bakari Rashid, Nicholaus Jeremia, and Edmund Kabushemela � were also nabbed for allegedly colluding with her in the smuggling attempt.

After being detained in custody following her arrest on Tuesday night, Ms Kassolo - who identified herself as a businesswoman - told the police in front of reporters at the airport that the consignment belonged to a Chinese national based in Dar es Salaam known as ’’Mr Zhung.’’

She claimed to be just working for the Chinese man and did not know the origins of the elephant tusks and other Government trophies.

’’These items are not mine...I was just following instructions from the owner whose name is Mr Zhung,’’ she pleaded with police in front of reporters.

She said ’’Mr Zhung’’ had told her all the key airport officials had been ’’sorted out’’ to ensure the illegal consignment passed through airport security unhindered.

The Commander of the Airport Police Unit, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mwajuma Kiponza, said police officers on duty on Tuesday evening observed suspicious movements by several airport employees as the suitcase went through the usual customs checking procedures.

They (police) then intervened and ordered that the suitcase be opened, hence discovering the Government trophies within.

ACP Kiponza described it as ’’the biggest heist of ivory ever made at this airport.’’
She said several Chinese nationals have in the past been arrested with smaller packages of Government trophies.

’’We are still investigating this incident with a view to arresting more suspects,’’ she added.

The Government trophies seized on Tuesday included five elephant tusks, 55 ivory sculptures, 86 chopsticks made from jumbo tusks, jewellery, and dozens of other items made from ivory.

Police also found 60 lion claws and teeth, 82 bracelets and rings made from turtle shells, and several other items. Suspected cocaine narcotics were also found in the suitcase.

Officials said the entire contraband, which weighs a total of 53 kilogrammes, will be sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism for verification of total value.

A recently-devised revolutionary genetic technique to pinpoint areas in Africa where elephants are being slaughtered more frequently has revealed that Tanzania is at the centre of the continent’s poaching activities to feed a worldwide trade in illegal ivory.

Using a DNA map of Africa’s elephants, scientists have found that most recent seizures of jumbo tusks can be traced to animals that grazed in the Selous Game Reserve, situated in the country’s southern zone.

The discovery suggests that only a handful of cartels are responsible for most of the world’s booming trade in illegal ivory, and for the annual slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants.

The smuggled ivory is said to be aimed at satisfying the Far East’s growing appetite for ivory, a new status symbol for the middle classes of the region’s swelling industrialized economies.

As a result, ivory prices have soared from $200 a kilo in 2004 to more than $6,000 today.

Six officials of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) are currently facing court charges on suspicion of involvement in a multi-million-dollar organised crime syndicate smuggling large numbers of elephant tusks through the port of Dar es Salaam to foreign lands.

The TRA sixtet were arrested specifically in connection with the smuggling of jumbo tusks worth a staggering $29.41m (approx. 40bn/-) from Tanzania to Vietnam in March this year .

How big was this suitcase?

quote:

Originally posted by Slider:
How big was this suitcase?

Most of the ivory was a little bigger than a toothpick (young females and juvenile) the largest tusk shown on photo couldn't have been
more than 6kgs.
Just goes to show how dumb some people can be!

http://www.thisday.co.tz/

Slider,

Link to photo, hope it worked.

Saturday July 11, 2009
Local News

Ivory contraband couple arraigned


DAILY NEWS Reporter, 11th July 2009 @ 01:11,


DONATHA Peter (27), the Dar es Salaam businesswoman intercepted with over 50 kilogrammes of contraband government trophies at the airport last Tuesday, was yesterday arraigned in court with her Chinese husband and two security officials.

Donatha, husband Zhang Zhilai and airport security officers Bakari Rashidi (30) and Jeremia Nicolas (28) denied three counts of conspiracy, illegal possession of the trophies and trying to export them without licence before Resident Magistrate Michael Mteite.

The Prosecution led by state Attorney Misonge Martha asked the court to remand the accused, saying their case was unbailable. However, defence counsel Theonest Rutashoborwa objected, arguing that the prosecution did not cite any law that bars the court from granting the accused bail.

“We totally object that the case is unbailable. The least they (prosecution) could have done is to mention the law which bars the court from granting bail to the accused.” the advocate said.

He argued that Donatha and Zhilai were charged under the economic and organized crime control, wild conservation Acts and fisheries regulations, which did not prohibit bail. The counsel further pleaded that Donatha was two months pregnant and was suffering from early pregnancy disturbances. She also had left at home a baby under the care of a house help.

The prosecution submitted that if the accused were released on bail they would interfere with investigations as other suspects were still at large. The magistrate reserved ruling on the submissions and remanded the accused until July 24.

Donatha and Zhilai are charged with unlawful possession of five pieces of elephant tusks, 55 ivory handicrafts and several pieces of ivory, lion’s teeth and nails and sea shells all valued at 12m/-. They were intercepted at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport as they prepared to leave the country on a scheduled flight. The security officers are charged with helping the couple through customs checks.