Three arrested in Midrand for trying to sell elephant tusk

Three men were arrested for the illegal possession and selling of elephant tusks in Midrand on Wednesday.

The environmental affairs department’s Green Scorpions‚ the Hawks and the police seized two cars and an elephant tusk in an undercover operation.

Department spokesman Albi Modise said according to the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act‚ illegal ivory trade carried a 10-year penalty or a R10-million fine.

The suspects appeared in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The investigation continues.

Meanwhile‚ in an unrelated incident‚ the department also welcomed the punishment handed down to another man for contravening environmental laws.

Jan Adriaan van Vuuren was fined R200‚000 or three years imprisonment in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court in August for the illegal possession of 35 cycads. He was arrested on December 14‚ 2016 at his house in the east of Pretoria.