NAIROBI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A wildlife trafficker who was previously listed on an Interpol Red Notice and previously convicted in courts over possession of wildlife trophies, and his accomplice have been arrested in Kenya for illegal possession of rhino horn, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said in a statement that Kenyan national Feisal Mohamed Ali and his accomplice were nabbed in the coastal city of Mombasa on Tuesday in possession of two pieces of rhino horn weighing 2.2 kilograms.
The 58-year-old Ali and 75-year-old Mohammed Hassan Kontoma were flown to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, with their arraignment adjourned to Thursday after the magistrate granted defence lawyers time to review the investigators' affidavits.
KWS Director General Erustus Kanga said the arrest and arraignment of Ali and his accomplice once again demonstrate Kenya's commitment to fighting wildlife crime and dismantling sophisticated trafficking networks.
"We will continue to pursue traffickers relentlessly, no matter how long it takes, to safeguard our iconic species and protect Kenya's heritage for future generations," Kanga vowed.
He reiterated the KWS's commitment to working with national and international partners, including Interpol and cross-border enforcement agencies, to ensure wildlife traffickers are brought to justice.
The two suspects were intercepted in Mombasa with two pieces of rhino horn, as they were actively seeking a buyer for the trophies. Ali was first arrested in June 2014 in connection with 228 pieces of ivory weighing 2,152 kilograms, seized in Mombasa.
Then described as one of the most wanted poaching syndicate leaders in East Africa, Ali escaped arrest during the seizure and was subsequently placed on an Interpol Red Notice.
His arrest in December 2014 in Tanzania and extradition to Kenya marked a breakthrough in Kenya's anti-poaching efforts. In 2016, he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment and fined 20 million Kenyan shillings (about 155,000 U.S. dollars) by a Mombasa court.
However, in a 2018 ruling, he was acquitted on appeal by the High Court on technical grounds. ■