Five men were arrested in the Kavango East Region on Tuesday for possession and dealing in controlled wildlife products worth N$250,000.

According to the Acting Regional Commander of Kavango East, Deputy Commissioner Eino Nambahu, the arrests took place in two separate locations at Shighuru village, 60 kilometres east of Rundu.

In the first incident, three local men from that village were apprehended after a tip-off from community members.

They were approached by undercover operators who pretended to be interested in the wildlife products, which consisted of pangolin skin and two elephant tusks.

The second incident consisted of two men who were found in possession of another pangolin's skin.

The Acting Regional Commander says wildlife products like pangolin skin are highly sought after by some foreign nationals.

Pangolin skins go for N$50,000 each on the black market, and the elephant tusks they were found with are worth N$150,000.

The five suspects, Jacob Ndara, Manfred Muronga, Christof Muronga, Clemence Karenga, and Muronga Ndara, appeared in court on charges of possession and dealing in controlled wildlife products on Wednesday.

The arrests were made possible through concerted efforts between NamPol, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, and the Shighuru community.