Notorious rich brothers  Patrick Kaunda and Chancy Kaunda, East Africa’s most wanted wildlife criminals have been arrested in Malawi by INTERPOL.

The two who were the subjects of INTERPOL Red Notices issued at the request of Tanzania, are suspected of attempting to export 781 elephant tusks from Tanzania to Malawi without the proper permits in 2013. The illicit tusks, valued at USD 5.8 million, were concealed in a shipment of bags of cement.

The arrests took place within the framework of Operation Usalama IV, an operation led by the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (SARPCCO) with support from INTERPOL.

The two-day operation targeted transnational crimes including human, drug and arms trafficking, people smuggling, terrorism, counterfeit and illicit goods and environmental crime

The arrests highlight the importance of ongoing cooperation between INTERPOL’s Project Wisdom and local authorities to tackle the illegal trafficking of ivory and rhinoceros horns in Africa.