Written By John Mutiso 📝
A Kenyan man who was extradited to the United States on charges of trafficking rhinoceros horns and ivory worth Sh800,000 million has pleaded guilty in a New York court.
According to Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Mansur Mohamed Surur was involved in the illegal poaching of more than approximately 35 rhinoceros and more than 100 elephants.
“The protection of endangered wildlife and natural resources is a crucial and important priority for my office,” Williams said.
Mr. Williams stated that Mr. Surur and his associates were responsible for advancing an industry that illegally slaughters species protected by international treaties all over the world.
According to the American Embassy in Nairobi, Surur also pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin to a buyer in the United States.
“These defendants were responsible for furthering an industry that illegally slaughters species protected by international agreements around the world. One of these defendants also engaged in a narcotics conspiracy involving a large quantity of heroin. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), these defendants have now pleaded guilty to the serious and destructive crimes they committed.”
Surur’s co-defendants, Moazu Kromah, a Liberian citizen, and Amara Cherif, a Guinean citizen, pleaded guilty on March 30, 2022, and April 27, 2022, respectively, to conspiring to traffic in rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory, as well as substantive charges of rhinoceros horn trafficking.
The remaining defendants, Badru Abdul Aziz Saleh “Badro” and Abdi Hussein Ahmed “Abu Khadi,” are both Kenyan citizens.
Saleh is in custody in Kenya based on a U.S. extradition request, and Ahmed remains a fugitive.
The US Department of State has offered a reward of up to Sh116 million ($1,000,000) for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and/or conviction.
According to court documents and statements made during the plea hearing and other proceedings, the three were members of a transnational criminal enterprise (the “Enterprise”) based in Uganda and surrounding countries that was engaged in the large-scale trafficking and smuggling of rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory.
