Police in the eastern district of Machinga have arrested three people for being in possession of ivory which they were about to sale.
Machinga Police spokesman, Constable Dave Sulumba told ZBS on Monday that the three suspects, who are yet to be identified, were arrested when they wanted to sale the ivory worth 42 kg at a price of K220 000.00 in the district.
Trading in ivory is controlled in Malawi following the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that the country ratified.
Malawi is widely considered a weak link in the fight against illegal ivory trade due to graft, weak wildlife legislation and poor law enforcement.
Ivory is highly sought for jewelry and decorative objects and much of it is smuggled to China and Thailand, where many wealthy shoppers buy ivory trinkets as a sign of financial success.
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