A 40-year-old man was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport after he was found in possession of 11 rhino horns, the Hawks said on Wednesday.
Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said the man was about to board a Qatar Airways flight to Malaysia on Monday when officials at a check-in point discovered suspicious objects in his luggage.
The officials discovered five rhino horns wrapped in foil which were concealed in sweets and green tea boxes, Mulamu said.
"Further investigation directed authorities to the airplane, where the suspect's second [set of] luggage was dispatched. The investigation team discovered six more rhino horns," Mulamu said.
The man is expected to appear in the Kempton Magistrate's Court on Wednesday for contravention of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act and dealing in rhino horn.
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