Breaking! Wildlife Trafficker Abdi Hussein Ahmed Arrested In Kenya After The U.S. Puts A $1 Million Dollar Bounty On His Head

Last week, Abdi Hussein Ahmed, alias Abu Khadi, who was on the U.S. Most Wanted list for wildlife and drug trafficking, was arrested in Kenya. Ahmed was reportedly involved in the illegal poaching of more than 35 rhinos and more than 100 elephants.

The arrest was made after the U.S. Department of State announced in May of this year that it was offering rewards of up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest and or conviction of Ahmed for participating in, or conspiring to participate in, transnational organized crime. The reward, made available through the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), was also offered for co-conspirator Badru Abdul Aziz Saleh, who was arrested on May 31st specifically for drug trafficking charges. Both Ahmed and Saleh were on INTERPOL’s Red Notice.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations-Kenya (DCI) confirmed the news of Ahmed’s arrest on Twitter on August 2nd. After receiving a tip, detectives arrested Ahmed in an early morning raid in Maua, Meru County, where he was staying in a rented room.

Ahmed was charged in the United States with wildlife trafficking in violation of the Lacey Act and with conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking in violation of the Endangered Species Act and Lacey Act. As per a statement from the U.S. Department of State, Ahmed has also been charged in Uganda and Kenya with violations of the Uganda Wildlife Act, the Kenya Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, and the Kenya East Africa Customs Act.

According to the indictment in a case currently being handled by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods, from December of 2012 through May of 2019, Ahmed and his team conspired to transport, distribute, sell, and smuggle at least approximately 190 kilograms of rhino horn and at least 10 tons of elephant ivory from various countries in East Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Mozambique, Senegal, and Tanzania, to buyers located in the United States and countries in Southeast Asia.

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