Security officers in Molo have arrested two male adults and recovered five pieces of elephant tusks and a rifle.
The two suspects aged 28 and 32 years were nabbed at the Posta area near the National Bank in Molo town by officers who were on a normal routine.
Police said they received an intelligence report from the residents about the suspicious characters forcing them to rush to the scene.
Upon arrival at the area, the officers led by Molo police station OCS confronted the duos who were riding on a motorcycle registration number KMFE 674Z.
They were in possession of two black bags, police said.
Upon conducting a search in the bags, the officers found a CZ EVO 3 Scorpion Rifle loaded with 30 rounds and five pieces of elephant ivory tusks.
The tusks weighed approximately 10 kilograms with its street value yet to be ascertained.
Preliminary investigations, police say, reveal that the suspects were from Nakuru and were in the process of delivering them to a buyer in Molo.
They are now in police custody pending a further probe into the matter before being arraigned in court.
“The exhibits are kept awaiting further police action,” a police report states.
Detectives handling the matter will be seeking to establish how the suspects obtained the weapon and if they are part of the gang engaged in criminal activities in the area and other towns.
They will also be pursuing various leads to understand where the wildlife trophy were sourced from and its destination.
“We shall also be questioning them to help us nab the buyer of the tusks,” said an officer aware of the matter.
Handling wildlife trophies is a serious offence which attracts heavy penalties and lengthy jail terms thanks to the overhauled Kenya Wildlife Conservation Act of 2013, which stipulates a maximum fine of Sh20 million or life imprisonment for convicts.
The Act classifies the African Elephant as an endangered species due to poaching which threatened its existence, with Kenya having led the ban on game hunting to contain the vice.
