International rhino horn syndicate to appear in Pretoria court
Six people allegedly linked to an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate are expected to line up in court in Pretoria on Tuesday.
They were arrested in Sunnyside on Tuesday morning after handing themselves over to the Hawks' Wildlife Trafficking Unit.
The five men, aged between 49 and 84, and a 60-year-old woman, are accused of running a sophisticated operation that illegally moved rhino horns out of South Africa, targeting markets in Southeast Asia.
Hawks spokesperson Christopher Singo says they have been investigating the syndicate since 2017.
"Investigations discovered an allegation of fraud against the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, where the suspects allegedly applied for the permits to sell and buy rhino horn locally, but were earmarked for the international illegal markets in South-East Asia.
"The identified fraudulent permits scheme accounts for an estimated 964 rhino horns with an estimated value of millions of rands. Further investigation revealed that the DFFE was allegedly defrauded by a well-designed scheme by the suspects to traffic rhino horns and to participate in the international illegal rhino horn markets."
The suspects also face possible racketeering and money laundering charges.
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