Suspect Feiswal Mohammed Ali, alias Feisal, 58, consults with his lawyer Gathoni Ibrahim at the JKIA law court in Nairobi on Thursday.
The Kenya Wildlife Service on Thursday sought an additional 10 days to conclude investigations into a wildlife trafficking case at the JKIA law courts.
Suspects Feiswal Mohammed Ali, 58, alias Feisal, and Mohammed Hassan Kontoma, 75, were arrested on Tuesday at Mama Ngina Drive, Mombasa county, while in possession of two pieces of rhino horn weighing 2.2 kilogrammes.
They were allegedly seeking a buyer for the trophies at the time of their arrest.
Following their apprehension, they were transferred from Mombasa to Nairobi to face charges at the JKIA law courts, which has jurisdiction over cases of transnational organised crime.
On Thursday, KWS told the court that investigations are at an advanced stage, having applied specialised covert techniques.
The prosecution said the offences are complex, with a cross-border dimension that requires forensic matching of the seized exhibits against international wildlife crime databases in collaboration with Interpol and other enforcement partners.
Senior principal magistrate Njeri Thuku scheduled a ruling on the prosecution’s application to hold the suspects for a further 10 days to allow completion of investigations for Friday at 9am.
In June 2014, Feiswal was linked to the seizure of 228 pieces of ivory weighing 2,152 kilogrammes at a motor vehicle warehouse in Tudor, Mombasa.
Described then as one of the most wanted poaching syndicate leaders in East Africa, he escaped arrest, leading to his placement on an Interpol Red Alert Notice.
He was later arrested in Tanzania in December 2014, extradited to Kenya, and in 2016 sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and fined Sh20 million by a Mombasa court. However, he was acquitted on appeal in 2018 by the High Court on technical grounds.
The latest arrest underpins Kenya’s determination to combat wildlife crime and dismantle trafficking cartels.
Rhino horn remains highly coveted in illegal markets abroad, posing a grave threat to endangered rhino populations and global biodiversity.
KWS said it is committed to supporting the judicial process and continue working closely with national and international enforcement agencies to ensure wildlife criminals are brought to justice.
