Men arrested over possession of ivory

A 29 year old Hwange man has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for the illegal possession of 12 pieces of ivory weighing over 24 kilograms.
Norman Tshuma of Magoli village in Hwange who was arrested on the 3rd of January appeared before Hwange provincial magistrate Shella Nazombe facing charges of contravening section 82 of the parks and wildlife regulations which prohibit the acquisition, possession or transfer of unmarked raw ivory without a permit.
According to the court papers, on the 3rd of January this year at around 12 midday the Zimbabwe Republic Police received information that Tshuma was involved in a spate of unlawful entry crimes in Luveve.
The police reacted to the information and went to the accused’s homestead, conducted a search and found him in possession of 12 pieces of ivory.
Tshuma failed to produce permits of the unmarked raw ivory and admitted that he killed three elephants in December last year.