N$4
namib times
SERVING THE COASTAL COMMUNITY SINCE 1958 NO 6647 FRIDAY 21 APRIL 2017
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“Double Happiness” brings Chinese cigarette smugglers double trouble Three nabbed trying to smuggle cigarettes through customs at Walvis Bay International Airport Piquet Jacobs
Three Chinese nationals were arrested at the Walvis Bay International Airport last Friday after they were caught trying to smuggle undeclared cartons of cigarettes into the country. The trio was spotted throwing the cartons of cigarettes through a toilet window in an attempt to circumnavigate the watchful eyes of customs officials and the police. Li Suifen (50), Wu Jinhai (41) and Zeng Xianggui (54) are from the Southeast Chinese province of Guangdong. They were taken into custody and charged with the breach of security measures at an airport. The eleven cartons of cigarettes represent 2 200 individual cigarettes. The brand ironically: Shuangxi “Double Happiness”. The trio was fined N$3 000 each in the Walvis Bay Magistrate court on Tuesday. Double the trouble from Double Happiness, as cigarettes are not only bad for your health, but can bring you in a whole lot of trouble too.
Three-legged doggie miracle survival after getting lost in desert Erwin Leuschner The power of social media was once again proven over the past Easter weekend when a small dog, which was lost in the dunes close to Langstrand for more than a day, was re-united with its owners shortly after being found. What is so extraordinary is the dog only has three legs, as the right rear leg has been amputated. Report on page 2
Top military man arrested for dealing in rhino horn Erwin Leuschner
One of the three alleged rhino horn dealers arrested in Walvis Bay recently, is a senior officer in the Namibian Defence Force (NDF), based at Grootfontein – he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. This was revealed this week by deputy commissioner Erastus Iikuyu, Nampol regional crime investigations coordinator for the Namibian Police in Erongo. “The recent arrests are a hard blow to the rhino poaching syndicates and the rhino horn trade in Namibia,” said Simson UriKhob, CEO of Save t h e R h i n o Tr u s t (SRT), in response to this major Police success. So far two suspects appeared in the Magistrates Court in Walvis Bay after they were allegedly in possession of two “fresh” rhino horns. Exact details about how the arrests went down are still being kept under wraps. “We do not want to jeopardize the investigation,” said deputy commissioner Erastus Iikuyu. namib times understood from this more arrests might follow. According to Iikuyu it was initially three suspects that were arrested on Sunday (16
April) at about 16:08 at the Walvis Bay Convenience Centre (Engen service station opposite Shoprite in the Walvis Bay central business district.) The two rhino horns, believed to have originated from a recently poached rhino, were wrapped in tinfoil on the back seat of a pickup belonging to the wife of the army officer. It is believed the horns stem from a rhino poached on a farm in the Otjozondjupa Region in the vicinity of Otjiwarongo. It is not yet determined if it was a white or black rhino. “When we closed in on the four suspects, one managed to run away,” Iikuyu continued. Of the three arrested persons, one suspect from Swakopmund was later released due to lack of evidence. The other
two, Lieutenant Colonel Petrus Mutako Damaseb (49) from Grootfontein and Steven Omeb (29) from Okahandja appeared on a charge of being in possession of a pair of rhino horns. They are estimated to be worth about N$600 000. The duo was denied bail and their case was postponed until 18 June 2017 for further investigations. The third suspect, who fled the scene in Walvis Bay, was arrested on Tuesday morning at Otjiwarongo. The suspect, Champion Kapans Haraseb (29) has been charged with rhino poaching. After a first appearance in the Otjiwarongo magistrate’s court, he was transContinues on page 2
inside
Debt collector cries foul
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Accidents continue unabated
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Locker vom Hocker
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Buccaneers Summer League concludes
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