With an increase in ivory smuggling cases involving Chinese nationals, it can now be believed that most of these Chinese people in the country are not only here with good intentions but also to steal from Malawi.
On Tuesday, 20 February 2018, police at Kamuzu International Airport have nabbed another Chinese national who was on a mission to smuggle ivory to her motherland China.
Qi Zhang was found with the ivory in departures lounge at the airport as she requested her bag to be wrapped. But before her request was accepted, police officer manning the place asked that her bag should be physically searched before wrapping it as per her request.
According to KIA police spokesperson Sapulain Chitonde, the police officer found 16 small pieces of ivory weighing 0.16 Kgs which were concealed in foil papers to cheat the screening process.
She was swiftly arrested and put in custody where she is waiting to answer the charges of illegal possession of game trophy and exportation of game trophy contrary to section 98 as read with 111 and 113 of parks and wildlife.
In December last year, police also arrested two other Chinese nationals along with two Malawians in possession of ivory worth K31 million.
It was reported that the two Malawians had planned to sell the ivory to the Chinese nationals but they got nabbed in the process following a tip by well-wishers.
