A Chinese man with 10 rhino horns and scores of carved ornaments worth more than $100 000 (about R1.4-million) was arrested at OR Tambo International as he tried to board a flight to Hong Kong.
The 48-year-old man was detained on Thursday and is expected to appear in court on charges of trafficking rhino horns.
“The suspect claimed to have acquired the rhino horns from Maputo,” police said.
South Africa is battling a rhino poaching crisis, with nearly 1 200 animals killed for their horns last year alone.
Most of the animals are poached from the Kruger National Park, which shares parts of its border with Mozambique.
Authorities often say poachers, who use high-calibre weapons to shoot the animals so they can saw off the horns, come across the border from Mozambique.
Rhino horn is composed mainly of keratin, the same component as in human fingernails, but the substance is believed in some Asian countries to have medicinal properties that could cure cancer — as well as being an aphrodisiac. Although scientifically proven to be false, the belief has fuelled a lucrative illegal trade in rhino horn in Asia.
South Africa is estimated to host ab o u t 80%, or about 20 000, of the world’s rhino population.
The arrest is the latest in a string of arrests related to rhino poaching in the past week.
Last week police officers deployed to KwaZulu-Natal‚ Limpopo and Mpumalanga as part of Operation Rhino arrested eight suspects for possession of firearms‚ hijacking‚ conspiracy to poach and possession of rhino horns.
“Between the eight of them, the suspects‚ whose ages range from 19 to 40 years‚ were found in possession of seven firearms (two pistols and hunting rifles)‚ 45 rounds of ammunition‚ a hijacked vehicle‚ hunting knives and axes‚” said police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.
The suspects were arrestedaround Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal ‚ Phalaborwa in Limpopo and Skukuza in Mpumalanga.
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