A magistrate in the northern Namibian town of Katima Mulilo has separately sentenced two Zambian ivory dealers to three years in jail each following their arrest for the illegal possession of 14 elephant tusks.
In the first case, Katima Mulilo regional magistrate Karel Otto Muyeghu sentenced Joe Walubita to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of controlled wildlife products in the form of eight elephants tusks.
According to court records, Walubita was arrested on August 19 while transporting the ivory to Katima Mulilo in a vehicle which has since been forfeited to the State. Six live bullets of an undefined calibre and rifle configuration were also recovered from the car during his arrest.
In another case that was brought before the same court, Zambian national Kufuna Kambembe was sentenced to 24 months in prison but given the option of paying a N$7,00 fine for the illegal possession of six elephants tusks.
According to court records, Kambembe was arrested on August 29 at the Zambia-Namibia border while transporting the tusks to a nearby village using a wheelbarrow.
The tusks had been cut into 14 small pieces. He pleaded not guilty to the charges but was sentenced on account of overwhelming evidence against him.
