The United States of America (USA) is offering a Sh233m cash reward for information on two suspects, Abdi Hussein Ahmed and Badur Abdul Aziz Saleh, who are wanted in America for drug and wildlife-related crimes.
Detectives have since launched a nationwide manhunt for the two.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti said the duo, both Kenyan nationals, are wanted for their alleged involvement in wildlife trafficking of endangered species.
“Abdi and Abdul, together with Mansur Mohamed, are involved in the transportation, distribution, and smuggling of 190kgs of rhinoceros horns and 10 tonnes of elephant ivory from different countries in Africa,” Kinoti said during a briefing at the DCI Headquarters on Kiambu Road.
The duo, who are alleged to be part of a well-organised transnational criminal enterprise, are also accused of transporting 1kg of heroin from Kenya to the US.
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Mohamed allegedly committed the crimes between December 2012 and May 2019.
According to the DCI boss, the three were indicted in the US on June 14, 2019.
Interpol, whose headquarters is in France, had issued a red notice for Abdi Hussein and Mansur Mohammed.
A warrant of arrest was also issued for Abdul Abdulaziz, who was then arrested in Kenya by DCI sleuths.
“Abdul was arrested in Kenya in June 2019 at the Busia border point, before being transported to Nairobi and later arraigned at the JKIA court,” said Kinoti.
One suspect, Mansur was extradited from the country to the US in January last year. He had been arrested by authorities in Mombasa in July 2020, “on charges of conspiracy to traffic rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory, which involved the illegal poaching of more than approximately 35 rhinoceros and more than 100 elephants,” the US Southern District Court said in a statement last year.
