Zambian authorities have smashed an alleged endangered wildlife smuggling syndicate, arresting six South Africans and seizing a specially equipped light aircraft, vehicles, weapons and veterinary drugs. The men detained include hunters and game capturers from Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and North West. They were arrested in a military operation in southern Zambia, near Lake Kariba, during the early hours of Saturday.Zambian air force personnel and officials of that country's wildlife authority arrested the six South Africans and a Zimbabwean as they were allegedly off-loading 12 sable antelope calves from a trailer and preparing to put them into a Piper Navajo Chieftain aircraft, parked under trees near a dirt landing strip in the bush.Each of the animals can be sold for about $1-million.Zambian authorities claim the pilot of the aircraft, which is said to be owned by a Pretoria game company, did not file flight plans, failed to declare the cargo and had not cleared customs.SA Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Kabelo Ledwaba said pilots were required to file flight plans."Any noncompliance with South African civil aviation regulations will be investigated."The Times has established that until last month the aircraft was registered to Unique Air. It was then sold to Phofolo Small Game Specialists.Unique Air operations manager Thomas Nel confirmed the sale, saying that the aircraft had been owned by Unique Asset Hire and operated by Unique Air Charter."It was maintained by Aircraft Maintenance International. The aircraft was sold on September 28 by Aircraft Maintenance International, with the sale concluded on September 29. The new owners have 30 days in which to register the aircraft in their name."He said Unique Air Charter, Unique Asset Hire and Aircraft Maintenance International had no knowledge of the aircraft's movements after it left Nelspruit, where it was handed over to its new owners.Johanna Grobler, of Phofolo Small Game Specialists, denied owning the aircraft but declined to comment further.The two pilots, who are South African, are being held at a police station in Lusaka. The others, including two Pretoria brothers, are at a police station in Monze, in southern Zambia, near Lusaka.The men are expected to appear in court later this week.The brothers' father last night said the situation was a "complete misunderstanding"."My sons are not criminals and are definitely not game smugglers. They have yet to be formally charged. I have spoken to them. They are in good spirits and holding up under the circumstances."He would not comment on why the animals were reportedly being loaded onto an aircraft at a remote airstrip.Sakabilo Kalembwe, a Zambia Wildlife Authority spokesman, said that when the South Africans entered the country on October 5, they aroused suspicion because their permits stated that they were in the country to fish but they were found to be carrying dart guns."Who goes fishing with dart guns?" he asked. "Our authorities flagged them and alerted the game reserves and law-enforcement authorities."Believing that the men might be involved in wildlife crimes, their movements were monitored, Kalembwe said."Information we have shows this is not the first time that these men have been involved in these kinds of activities."We followed them to a ranch where 40 sable antelope were being kept. We watched them load the 12 animals, five of which have subsequently died, into a trailer and drive off. They were meant to go to Livingstone, but didn't."The men were arrested at Korta, in the Gwebe district."When the suspects realised that they were surrounded, they threw away a handgun and ammunition. We recovered these along with tranquillisers and the dart guns."Kalembwe said the possibility of the use of the aircraft in other smuggling operations between Zambia and South Africa was being investigated."This is the most complex wildlife smuggling syndicate, which involved a specially fitted aircraft, that we have uncovered."Kalembwe said the Zambian and South African authorities were collaborating on the investigation.Kalembwe said the animals had originally been bought at an auction but no permission had been granted for them to be exported."Those who bought the animals will also be investigated."Richard Thomas, of the international wildlife crime monitoring organisation Traffic, said wildlife crime was becoming ever more sophisticated."Smugglers are better equipped and armed, and more brazen. Clearly they would not be using an aircraft if it were not worth their while," he said.It is the second recent incident of sable antelope smuggling.In September four South Africans were held for allegedly trying to smuggle 29 endangered sable from Zimbabwe to South Africa to be shot by hunters.The animals were found when the Zimbabwean authorities discovered the trucks in which they were being transported stuck in the Limpopo River...