Man (32) nabbed with five lion heads

A MASVINGO man who was nabbed while selling five lion heads valued at US$100 000 yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo facing poaching charges.

Patson Ndhlovu (32) who was remanded out of custody on US$200 bail will return to court on March 18 for trial.

Allegations are that on February 17 this year, detectives from CID Flora and Fauna Unit in Harare received information that Ndlovu and his accomplices were in possession of five lion heads and were looking for potential buyers.

The detectives swiftly reacted to the information and proceeded to the scene where they carried out some surveillance and observed the accused person and his accomplices approaching the team's advance party vehicle which was being driven by a detective.

The accused person and his accomplices then entered the vehicle which was parked at Harare's Baines clinic. The vehicle then drove towards Mazowe Street.

While observing from a distant, the backup team saw their colleague together with the accused and his accomplices disembarking from the motor vehicle and enter Mazoe Mansions Flats.

After a while the detectives noticed the accused person carrying a blue and purple bag which he placed it at the back of the advance team's pickup truck. The detectives then approached the advance team's car and introduced themselves by producing police identity cards and asked the accused person to produce a permit or licence authorising him to possess the lion heads.

The accused failed to produce the documents, leading to his arrest and recovery of five lion heads which will be produced in court as exhibits.