By Ziyah News Court Reporter
Dimbwani Muleya, a 37-year-old man from Beitbridge, has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for illegal possession of a pangolin worth US$3,000. Muleya was convicted and sentenced by a Beitbridge magistrate after being caught with the protected species while searching for potential buyers.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), on May 14, the police and officials from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority were tipped off that Muleya was in possession of a pangolin and was looking for buyers in Makhado area in Beitbridge.
They arranged to meet him at Makhado Ranch.
Muleya arrived in a Nissan AD Van and got into the investigation team’s vehicle where they negotiated the price of the pangolin and settled at US$3 000.
The pangolin was in a white plastic bucket.
The investigation team identified themselves before asking Muleya to produce a permit granting him the authority to be in possession of the pangolin.
The court heard that Muleya failed to produce one, leading to his arrest.