Hawks nab three members of suspected rhino horn syndicate
The Hawks have arrested three foreign nationals who are allegedly part of a syndicate smuggling rhino horn.
“The arrested suspects are the mastermind behind a rhino syndicate,” says Hawks spokesperson Dineo Sekgotodi.
Two horns, vehicles and cash were seized during an operation by the elite crime-fighting unit in Johannesburg on Thursday.
The Chinese and two Taiwanese nationals were detained at the Kempton Park police station.
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The probe involved several law enforcement agencies, including SANParks, the Environmental Affairs Department and the Financial Intelligence Centre.
“Several transactions over a period of a year were conducted with this Chinese syndicate that have embedded their illicit rhino horn trafficking operation in the Gauteng Province,” says Sekgotodi.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court on Friday.
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