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U.S. says two foreign nationals indicted for trafficking ivory, rhinoceros horn -Breaking

by Mike Robinson

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Kanishka Sharma

(Reuters) – Two individuals from the Democratic Republic of Congo were arrested and charged by a federal grand jury for allegedly trafficking elephant ivory from DRC and white rhinoceros horn to Seattle.

According to a department statement, “Herdade Lokua (23), and Jospin Mujangi (31) of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo were detained on Nov. 3, outside of Seattle.”

A federal grand jury indicted the defendants for conspiracy to money launder, smuggling, and other violations of trafficking on November 4. According to the statement.

According to the 11-count indictment, Lokua and Mujangi conspired with a middleman for four packages to be smuggled into the United States.

The DOJ stated that the defendants sent three packages containing approximately 49 pounds of ivory via air freight from Seattle in August and September 2020.

The defendants allegedly shipped another shipment in May with five pounds each of rhinoceros-horn. According to the department, a buyer paid $14,500 and $18,000 respectively for ivory.

The indictment states that Lokua, Mujangi sold 55 pounds worth of pangolin weights to an American buyer. However, they did not send them.

According to the World Wildlife Organization, pangolin meat, also known as “scaly Anteater”, is considered delicacy. Their scales can be used in traditional Chinese medicine. They are among the most frequently-trafficked mammals in the world.

They discussed the possibility of sending more ivory, rhinoceros Horn and pangolin Scales via ocean freight containers. They arrived in Washington State on November 2nd to finalize the agreement and were taken into custody in Edmonds.

Reuters couldn’t immediately reach the representatives for Lokua or Mujangi.

According to the Justice Department, the maximum prison sentence for the charges of smuggling or money laundering is twenty years. For conspiracy and violations of the Lacey Act, five years are possible. According to the Lacey Act, it is illegal for shipments that contain wildlife to be falsely identified.

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