Lubango - Four citizens, aged 41, 43, 48 and 53 were arrested over the weekend, in Lubango, southern Huíla Province by the National Police, through the Criminal Offenses Investigation Department (DIIP), in possession of two ivory teeth weighing seven kilograms.
When talking about the case, the head of DIIP-Huíla, superintendent Pedro Cassoma Mendes, stated that the suspects, including a 53-year-old woman, were detained in the Mutundo informal market, when they intended to sell the product.
He stated that when asked about how they got the items, the alleged perpetrators responded that the ivory was offered to them by a friend of Namibian nationality and they were looking for clients in Lubango.
The source stated that the aforementioned citizens did not know the real price of the product, which is why it would be the customer who should make an offer.
Ivory is a white and very resistant calcified woven product. It is obtained through the canine teeth of animals such as elephants and hippos and rhinos.
It is used in the manufacture of jewelry, ornaments and art artifacts, with high commercial value. Their commercialization is prohibited by law, as the animals that carry them are protected by international legislation.
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