Three Kenyan men were on Thursday, May 11 imprisoned for the part they played in poaching rhinos and attempting to sneak pounds of heroin into the United States.
According to federal prosecutors, the men were part of a gang based in Uganda that attempted to transport millions of dollars worth of animal parts obtained through illegal poaching.
Between 2012 and 2019, the men reportedly tried to smuggle the commodities until law enforcement agents intercepted a package containing a black rhinoceros horn sold by the defendants that were intended for a buyer in Manhattan.
They were sentenced by the US District Judge Gregory H. Woods who noted that the convict was the the last of the group members to be sentenced.
“This case demonstrates the crossover between cases involving wildlife trafficking and other kinds of transnational crime,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated
The three men were found guilty and given different sentences depending on their role in the matter.
One convict aged 49 years old was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.
He was sentenced to four years in prison.
While the second, aged 62, was sentenced to four and a half years after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more heroin.
The third Kenyan was sentenced to three and a half years for the same offense as the others.
In the five-member gang, the two others, who were from Guinea and Liberia, were sentenced to four years and 10 months and five years, and three months respectively.
Notably, any trade involving endangered species violated various laws in the United States and international treaties by the US.
In 2020, the District of Columbia passed a law to address the surging local market for goods that contribute to declines in endangered wildlife.
The act banned the sale of elephant ivory and rhino horn in the District.
