'Lion bone trafficker' nabbed at OR Tambo International Airport

A 43-year-old man will appear in the Kempton Park magistrates’ court on Monday after he was “found with lion bones” at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Friday.

The suspect was detained when Bidvest security guards at the airport discovered suspicious items in his luggage. Germiston-based Hawks’ economic protected resources members were alerted, the luggage opened and lion bones were recovered. The suspect was about to board a flight to Vietnam via Qatar, said Hawks spokesperson Capt Bonnie Nxumalo.

Police also seized foreign currency, a cellphone and two passports. During the preliminary investigation, it was discovered the bones came from the carcasses of five lions. The suspect will be charged for illegally dealing in wildlife, possession of lion bones and contravening the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), Nxumalo added.

Further arrests have not been ruled out.

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