Ivory smuggling rings use briefcase companies to escape police dragnets

An international poaching and ivory smuggling syndicate in the region is using shell import and export firms, and clearing and forwarding companies in Kenya and Uganda to facilitate their illicit trade, investigations indicate.

A search at the registrar of companies in Uganda has revealed that Gisenya Freight Limited, Comos Freightnal Limited, which have been linked to more than 10 tonnes of ivory intercepted at the Port of Mombasa, do not exist in the database of the Uganda Registration Service Bureau.

And the files of Uwezo Enterprises Ltd and Three Ways Freighters Ltd, both of Mombasa, are also not in the records of Kenya’s Registrar of Companies— explaining why no arrests have been made in connection with the multi-million ivory seized four months ago.

Questions are now being raised as to how the huge ivory consignments, which originated from Uganda, were cleared by the country’s revenue authority without verification of the cargo and the firms involved.

Decorative ivory stolen from State House in Mombasa was found in the consignment that originated from Uganda— raising fears that influential personalities in Kenya and Uganda are behind the illegal business.

In Kenya, two influential Coast businessmen, a central Kenya MP and a Rift Valley governor have been linked to the runaway poaching and ivory smuggling.

Police officers, Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Revenue Authority officials conversant with investigations into the matter say names of the three have featured in the banned trade.

The three are reportedly part of an international ivory smuggling ring operating in the country. They have been linked to containers full of ivory intercepted at the Port of Mombasa in August and September.

In Kampala, Mr Moses Olinga, a warden in charge of law enforcement at Uganda Wildlife Authority, says Uganda is among the gang of eight in Africa where ivory trafficking takes place. 

He says the smugglers are ahead of the game— they have built a very large network with criminal syndicates, which allows them to pass through the country undetected and even have passports, which makes it hard to track them.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that most of the ivory comes from the neighbouring countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Burundi. We are now testing DNA samples of the ivory to help us identity their exact origin.” He says the destination countries are Malaysia, Turkey, China, Vietnam and Japan.

Combating poaching, Mr Olinga says, needs concerted efforts from all sectors, especially security at border points and clearing agents at the airport.

“Ivory from Entebbe Airport is cleared and directly taken to the aircraft. Clearing agents are arrested but later released, how can we then fight poaching,”

According to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), international organised crime syndicates are behind the killing of elephants and rhinos in Kenya and other African countries.

Cites says the gangs use the latest technology and have collaborators among local communities and security agencies.

Investigations have revealed that the international ring has devised ingenious ways of transporting their loot to evade detection by security agencies.

Their tricks include declaring containers ferrying the smuggled ivory as carrying either timber, fruits, electronics, tyres or other assorted goods.

Most of the ivory intercepted in Asia is being traced to the ports of Dar-es-Salaam and Mombasa.

Wildlife experts and scientists estimate that two elephants are killed per day in Kenya — the highest number in recent times. The statistics have sparked outrage among wildlife conservationists and raised fears the animals could become extinct.

KWS says there has been an upsurge in poaching in the last five years with more than 360 elephants killed last year compared to only 45 in 2007.

Additional reporting by FLAVIA LANYERO In Kampala
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