The United States has welcomed the conviction of a Chinese national who was involved in poaching and trafficking of endangered species in Malawi.
Chinese national Lin Yun Hua was convicted in June on the charge of illegal possessions of specimen of listed and protected species, including 103 pieces of Rhino horn. He is expected to be sentenced by the Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe on July 17.
The US Embassy in a statement posted on its Facebook Page today said Lin is one of the ringleaders of a transnational criminal wildlife trafficking syndicate, responsible for the illegal poaching and trafficking of endangered species in Malawi and elsewhere in Africa.
“The United States hopes that these arrests and subsequent convictions will help put an end to the depletion of Malawi’s precious natural resources by criminal elements.
“The United States calls on all nations, particularly destinations for Africa’s wildlife, to move beyond words, take action, and speak out against transnational criminal networks,” the embassy said in its statement
Lin was arrested by the Malawi Police Service in August last year, three months after police began hunting for him. Lin’s wife, Mrs. Qin Hua Zhang, and son-in-law, Mr. Li Hao Yaun, were convicted by Malawian courts November 14, for the dealing and possession of 21kg of elephant ivory.
Interpol estimates that international illegal wildlife trade worldwide is worth over MWK 15 trillion ($20 billion USD) annually.
