3 Arrested for exporting endangered pangolin scales
Three members of a syndicate that allegedly exported 400 kg of the endangered pangolin scales, worth $1.2 million, to Malaysia have been arrested in Accra.
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The three Ghanaians, including two shipping agents — Prosper Kumako, Prince Anim and the exporter — Robert Konu — were picked up on July 27 and July 29, 2017 using the paper trail of the export during investigations.
The three are said to have outwitted customs officials by labelling the product which export has been banned in Ghana since the 1960s as oyster shells.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Executive Director of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah, said the commission decided to investigate the issues following a June 16, 2017 publication of the Associated Press (AP) that Malaysian customs officials had seized the said quantity of pangolin scales at the Kuala Lumpur Airport.
The report indicated that it was the second time the scales of the animals had been impounded from Ghana by the Asian country.
Pangolin scales are said to be gaining popularity in Asia for its use as an ingredient in the production of aphrodisiacs and a valuable narcotic extract.
Giving more details, Nana Adu-Nsiah said after the division was tasked by the Chief Executive of the commission, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, to look into the authenticity of the AP story, the Intelligence Unit of the Narcotics Control Board also picked the information and decided to conduct further investigation.
Arrests
Nana Adu-Nsiah said on July 27, 2017, an agent who was identified as Kumako, during investigation, was arrested and sent to the NACOB offices for interrogation.
“He admitted having facilitated the exportation of the pangolin scales from Ghana to Malaysia. The last-but-one- was done on June 5, 2017. He further admitted that in all these exports, it was named as oyster shells,” Nana Adu-Nsiah said.
He said another agent known as Prince Anim, an accomplice who used his documents to facilitate the exportation of the banned product, was arrested on the same day and during interrogation, he admitted having used his documents to facilitate the exportations.
During interrogation, Kumako mentioned Robert Konu as the owner of the scales who brought them to be exported on all three occasions.
On July 29, 2017, Konu was arrested and during interrogation, he admitted exporting the seized pangolin scales to Malaysia.
He is also alleged to have said he had exported the endangered animal’s scales five times (twice in 2016 and thrice this year.)
“The exports of 2016 were done through his brother, Philip Konu, an agent, now deceased. He further mentioned that he labelled the document as oyster shells on all occasions, although he knew it was pangolin scales. It was after the death of Philip that he solicited the assistance of Prosper for the continuation of the exportations,” the Wildlife Executive Director said.
Source of supply
Nana Adu-Nsiah said Konu told the investigators that a Chinese national whose name was given only as Lee, was the source of supply of the scales.
According to Konu, Lee sent him the stock through an accomplice in Nigeria and he (Konu) facilitated the export from Ghana to Malaysia.
“He explained that he receives the stock through Nigeria bus stations. He provided the China and Nigeria phone numbers of Lee for further investigations,” the Wildlife boss said.
Konu also told the NACOB officials that Lee did send money to him through his (Lee) friends in Ghana for the processing fees, as well as commissions.
Nana Adu-Nsiah stated that although Ghana’s pangolin population was unknown, the quantities seized could not have come from Ghana.
In Ghana, the species is wholly protected by law and cannot be hunted at all even for its meat, which is a delicacy in some communities.
Pangolins live between 30 and 40 years but are said to be difficult to breed and depend mainly on insects.
Transit route
“You cannot export any product of wildlife animals without a permit so there is no excuse that you don’t know that they cannot be exported. Those who did the export have no permit from anywhere. Some people came for permits for oyster shells but the number of request was increasing and we detected something was wrong so we refused the permits,” Nana Adu-Nsiah explained.
He warned that it was becoming evident that some of the wildlife traffickers were using Ghana as a transit destination to conduct their nefarious activities.
“We would like to send a message to them that they have no place in Ghana. We will smoke them out. We are going to intensify collaboration with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Police, NACOB, airport officials and all intelligence networks to combat this crime,” he stated.