FIVE SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN R500,000 PANGOLIN TRADE STING OPERATION IN WHITE RIVER

Five suspects aged between 34 and 58 have been arrested following a Hawks sting operation that allegedly foiled an attempt to sell a live pangolin for R500,000 in White River.

The arrests took place on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, at approximately 09:55 at a scrap metal business in Rockeys Drift, White River.

Members of the Hawks’ Nelspruit Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI), acting on information received from a source, conducted the operation after receiving information that the suspects were allegedly planning to sell the protected animal.

The operation, which was conducted in collaboration with the White River K9 Unit, resulted in the arrest of all five suspects.

Two vehicles, a Volkswagen Polo and a Toyota Etios, were also seized and handed over to the Nelspruit Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit (VCIU) for further investigation.

The pangolin was recovered alive and handed over to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA). It was subsequently taken to a veterinarian for treatment and care.

The suspects are expected to appear before the White River Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, where they will face a charge of conveying a live wild animal.

Acting Hawks Provincial Head in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Bruce Davenport, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to fighting wildlife-related crime.

Davenport said the Hawks would continue working with relevant law enforcement agencies and conservation authorities to combat wildlife trafficking and dismantle criminal networks involved in the illegal trade of protected species.