In Nacala-Porto, Nampula
Province, the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) arrested two
local individuals last week in possession of a pangolin, an animal species
protected by national law.
The suspects are two young
men around 30 years old, who were apprehended by SERNIC agents on the evening
of Saturday, May 10th of this year. They were caught with a pangolin, an endangered
species.
The two men confessed to the
charges and admitted to transporting the animal from Nampula city, originating
in the neighboring province of Niassa, with the intention of selling it in the
port city.
SERNIC investigations
revealed the presence of the animal, leading to the arrest of the two
individuals. A third suspect managed to flee after noticing the presence of the
agents at the planned meeting point for the sale.
“I’m here because of the
pangolin. We were hired by someone to transport it to Namialo from Nampula.
When we got to Namialo, they said the buyer was in Nacala. I asked to be paid
for the transport because I was just the driver. The agreed fee was 30,000. I'm
here now and I regret transporting something I didn’t even understand,”
confessed one of the detainees, who worked as a taxi driver.
“I’m also here and I don’t
even know why. My friend invited me to hang out in Namialo. Once we got there,
I was told we had to go to Nacala and that we’d return the same day. When we
arrived in the upper part of Nacala, things got chaotic. I didn’t know what was
going on. We arrived at a hotel and were arrested by SERNIC,” said the second
detainee.
Enina Tsinine, spokesperson
for SERNIC in Nampula province, made the following statement:
“We are here to report a case of illegal trafficking of protected wildlife species. On the morning of May 9th, we received information from our sources that individuals traveling from Nampula city intended to sell a protected species, the pangolin, in the port city of Nacala. Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of three individuals in possession of the pangolin as they were about to complete the transaction. When they saw the police, they couldn’t escape because our team was already on the ground. They confessed to having brought the animal from Niassa province to sell it to an Asian national residing in Nacala-Porto. Upon noticing the police presence, one of them fled, leaving behind the two suspects from Nampula. The animal will be returned to the Niassa Reserve.”
This is the first recorded
case in 2025 of individuals arrested with a pangolin in Nacala-Porto. The
police had previously recorded similar cases in 2023. The suspects were
presented to the press by SERNIC at the district office in Maiaia,
Nacala-Porto, on the morning of Sunday. (Gabriel Cassimo)
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