Police in the Zambezi Region apprehended a 37-year-old man found in possession of 24 elephant tusks during a joint operation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism last night.

The tusks are alleged to have come from Botswana, where the elephants were poached, and entered Namibia through the Batubaja Area in Linyanti Constituency.

All 24 tusks were found loaded into a vehicle with an expired disc licence driven by a suspect who was allegedly called to provide transport after the car in which they were transported initially ran out of fuel.

A Namibian and Zambian national appeared in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate's Court on charges of being in possession of elephant tusks.

Richard Njangula Malosi, famously known as "Dime U Fume," aged 59 and his Zambian co-accused, Mashule Mate 34, were found in possession of six pairs of elephant tusks at Kongola.

The duo opted to conduct their own defense and indicated further that they would plead guilty to the charges.

Dime u fume is further facing a charge of contravening the Immigration Control Act, by harboring a person who has no legal documents.

A man arrested for allegedly being in possession of two elephant tusks at the Buffalo checkpoint in the Mukwe Constituency on Friday, made his first appearance in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Lihako Sishwama, 31, appeared before magistrate Selma Shiiga, who granted him bail of N$10,000.

According to the charge sheet, Sishwama was arrested during a special police operation in the Mukwe Constituency.

He faces a charge of dealing in and being in possession of controlled wildlife products.