14 DAY TRIAL // Messimo Rodrugue, a well-known wildlife trafficker believed to be responsible for the death of hundreds of elephants, has recently been arrested for the third time.
Authorities in Gabon, Central Africa, were the ones who made the arrest, the World Wildlife Fund tell us.
At the time he was taken into police custody, Messimo Rodrigue was in possession of 10 elephant tusks whose combined weight was one of roughly 93 kilograms (205 pounds).
The man was accompanied by three accomplices, who were also arrested.
The same source informs us that Messimo Rodrigue did not even attempt denying that he was in the business of killing elephants and selling their tusks on the black market.
“He has admitted to being an ivory trafficker,” Chief Prosecutor Gilbert Barangolo told the press.
Conservationists hope that, now that he is once again in police custody, Messimo Rodrigue will be punished in accordance to the severity of his deeds.
“Rodrigue was arrested once in 2010 and again in January this year. He is one of the most notorious wildlife criminals in the country.”
“We sincerely hope there will be no influence peddling or attempts to corrupt the process, and that this time he is severely punished,” stated Luc Mathot, the head of NGO Conservation Justice.
If found guilty, the man will likely be sentenced to one year in jail and made to pay a $40,400 (€30,500) fine.
The World Wildlife Fund and other similar groups believe that, all things considered, one year in prison and said fine is by no means enough to make this man and others like him think twice before setting out to kill elephants for their tusks.
“Over the past few years, Gabon has consistently shown itself to be a leader in the battle against wildlife criminality. But its wildlife laws are not stringent enough,” conservationist Bas Huijbregts said.
The organization asks that Gabon strengthen both its anti-poaching and its anti-trafficking laws as soon as possible.