Rhino poaching is one of the most heinous crimes against wildlife. Criminals often swoop in with a helicopter, kill a rhinoceros, cut the horn from its head, and fly away. If the animal is a female with a calf, the youngster is left to starve.
The head of a major poaching ring was arrested by South African Police in a sting operation, as was nine of his cronies. They were charged with obtaining 84 illegal horns. Here are the details in this post from Africa Geographic.
The accused, wearing a white collared shirt and black formal pants, exited the court building cuffed hand and foot.The arrest formed part of an operation led by the Hawks, who pounced on the alleged gang boss and nine other syndicate members simultaneously in various parts of the country during an arrest mission.The alleged head of the syndicate was nabbed in front of court as he was due to appear on charges of illegal possession of scheduled substances and firearms.The Citizen learnt that among the members arrested is the alleged right-hand-man, a Warrant Officer for the Organised Crime Unit in Pretoria, as well as the alleged kingpin’s wife, attorney, brother, a pilot and a professional poacher… [continued]
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