Tebogo Msimanga |
A 37-year-old man is expected to appear in the Krugersdorp Magistrates Court on Monday, 01 March 2021, for illegal possession of lion bones worth approximately R2.3 million.
Members of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation in Germiston, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) Dog unit, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development conducted a sting operation last Friday in Krugersdorp which resulted in the apprehension of the suspect.
Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said the investigation team received intelligence last Thursday about a man who kept lion bones in his premises at Wentworth Park, near Krugersdorp, without valid permits.
“They intercepted the premises and discovered massive lion dried bones in the garage packaged in boxes and also from the clandestine laboratory inside bags ready for exportation to unknown destination”.
She added that further investigation revealed that the suspect’s permit to possess lion bones and exportation expired in 2016 and 2020 respectively.
“He was immediately arrested and charged for contravening the National Environmental Management-Biodiversity (NEMBA) Act.” Concluded Captain Mulamu.
