Authorities have arrested the former owner of the world’s largest rhino conservation farm on charges of trafficking the horns of the endangered species, marking a significant breakthrough in a complex international smuggling investigation.
John Hume, a Zimbabwe-born conservationist in his mid-80s, was among six people arrested on Tuesday following what police described as a “complex investigation into transnational trafficking of rhino horns” that began in 2017.
He was released on R100 000 bail after appearing in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (19 August).
The arrests were announced by South Africa’s elite Hawks investigative unit, which specialises in serious organized crime and corruption cases.
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Massive scale of operation
Hume owned the sprawling 7 800-hectare Platinum Rhino facility in North West province until 2023, when he sold it to the African Parks NGO. The farm houses approximately 2 000 rhinos, representing 15% of the world’s remaining wild population of southern white rhinoceros.
Investigators uncovered allegations of an elaborate fraud scheme involving government officials who issued permits for 964 rhino horns that were supposedly for legal domestic sales. Instead, authorities allege the horns were illegally exported to black markets in Southeast Asia, where they command prices rivaling gold and cocaine.
While South Africa permits the domestic trade of rhino horns among its citizens, international export remains strictly prohibited under global conservation treaties. This legal framework appears to have been exploited in the alleged trafficking operation.
All six suspects appeared before a magistrate’s court in Pretoria and were granted bail, according to Hawks spokesman Christopher Singo.
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