Fugitive wanted in US for alleged ivory, rhino horn trafficking arrested in Kenya
Surur is connected to the alleged poaching of at least 100 elephants and 35 rhinos
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A fugitive wanted in the United States for allegedly trafficking in ivory and rhino horn was arrested in Mombasa, Kenya, Wednesday, Kenyan officials said.
Abubakar Mansur Mohammed Surur, 60, of Kenya, was detained at the airport after he chartered a flight to Kenya from Yemen, the country’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations wrote in a statement posted to Twitter.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The directorate said Surur is in custody. Kenya and the U.S. have an extradition treaty.
Surer was charged by U.S. officials last year with conspiracy to traffic more than $7 million in ivory and rhino horn. Three others involved in the alleged operation were also charged for their alleged roles, according to Reuters.
Surur is allegedly connected to the alleged illegal killing of at least 100 elephants and 35 rhinos, Capital FM Kenya reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The operation was mainly run out of Uganda between 2012 and 2019, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in the indictment, according to Reuters.
Surur and his alleged accomplice Abdi Hussein Ahmed have also been charged with money laundering and distributing heroin, Reuters reported.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It's unclear if Ahmed has been caught. The two other alleged accomplices have been arrested. One is in U.S. custody and the other is in Senegal awaiting extradition, Reuters reported.