‘Ivory Queen’ gets 15-year sentence

A prominent Chinese businesswoman dubbed the “Ivory Queen” was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Tanzanian court on Tuesday for smuggling the tusks of more than 350 elephants, weighing nearly two tons, to Asia.

Yang Feng Glan had been charged in October 2015, along with two Tanzanian men, with smuggling 860 pieces of ivory between 2000 and 2004 worth 13bn Tanzanian shillings (R80m). All three denied the charges. Police sources said Yang, 69, had lived in Tanzania since the 1970s and was secretary-general of the Tanzania China-Africa Business Council.

A Swahili-speaker, she also owns a popular Chinese restaurant in Dar-es-Salaam.

Kisutu Court Magistrate Huruma Shaidi sentenced Yang, Salivius Matembo and Manase Philemon each to 15 years, after they were convicted of leading an organised criminal gang.

Shaidi ordered them to either pay twice the market value of the elephant tusks or face a further two years in prison.

In court documents, prosecutors said Yang “intentionally did organise, manage and finance a criminal racket by collecting, transporting or exporting and selling government trophies” weighing a total of 1,889 tons.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China had firm laws on protecting endangered wildlife.

“We do not shield the illegal activities of Chinese citizens,” he said.

Conservationists welcomed Yang’s conviction, saying it was proof of the government’s seriousness in the fight against wildlife poaching, but criticised the sentence.

“[It] is not punishment enough for the atrocities she committed, by being responsible for the poaching of thousands of elephants in Tanzania,” WWF country director Amani Ngusaru said.

“She ran a network that killed thousands of elephants.”