A UNIVERSITY of Zimbabwe employee from the Clinical Trials Test Research department was yesterday dragged before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo, facing allegations of illegal possession of ivory.
Bloodshow Kopa (45), who was jointly charged with Givemore Murisa (33) and Tafadzwa Kuvhenguwa (36), was remanded in custody to July 3 this year for routine remand after being advised to approach the High Court for bail.
The State alleged that on June 12, detectives received information that the accused had ivory in Mbare, Harare.
On June 17, detectives got Murisa’s contacts, purporting to be a buyer and they agreed to meet at Robert Mugabe Square in Harare to complete the transaction.
Detectives proceeded to the mentioned meeting place before Murisa and Kopa entered the detectives’ vehicle to negotiate for a price.
They settled for US$170 per kilogramme of ivory.
Kopa disembarked from the detectives’ vehicle, leaving Murisa inside and went away for some minutes and returned in the company of Kuvhenguwa, who was holding a satchel.
The accused got into the purported buyer’s vehicle and occupied the rear seat and produced two pieces of ivory from the satchel and offered them for sale.
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The three accused persons requested payment for the ivory.
The court heard that the detective gave a signal to the back-up team, which pounced on the accused persons by showing their service identity cards.
The detectives recovered the two pieces of ivory from Kopa and asked the accused to produce a permit or licence authorising them to possess the ivory. They had none, leading to their arrest.
