A man who attempted to sell elephant tusks and rhino horns has been jailed.
Abbas Allawi, 52, of Gisburne Way, Watford, was jailed for 14 months on Thursday at Harrow Crown Court for the illegal purchase, keeping for sale and selling parts of an endangered species.
In October 2016, Metropolitan Police's Wildlife Crime Unit and dog unit searched Allawi's home and found three rhinoceros horns, two elephant tusks and four hippopotamus tusks, and found he has offered these items for sale.
The rhino horns were detected by dogs specially trained to identify their scent.
DC Christopher Jones said: "Some rhinoceros populations are critically endangered. A world without iconic species such as rhinos and elephants would be a sad place.
"Police are the last line of defence for some of these beautiful creatures but we will seek to prosecute anyone found to be trading illegally."
The court found Allawi also offered to purchase rhino horns and the elephant ivory equated 40kg.
DC Sarah Bailey of the Metropolitan Police’s Wildlife Crime Unit, added: "This case shows that laws are in place to protect endangered species. I would urge anyone who sees specimens from protected wildlife for sale to contact police.
"We are committed to ensuring that anyone in London who is trading illegally in endangered animal parts is stopped."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel