Rhino Poacher Alsony Alberto Valoyi Sentenced To 23 Years In Prison; 3 More Suspects Also Arrested For Poaching In Kruger National Park

In what was a record week for the plight of rhinos, South African National Parks (SANParks) recently announced that Alsony Alberto Valoyi was sentenced to a total of 23 years in prison for rhino poaching and other offenses by the Skukuza Regional Court prosecuting team.

This follows the headline-making news WAN also reported on Thursday, June 17th, that rhino poaching kingpin Petros Sydney Mabuza, known as “Mr. Big,” was shot and killed in South Africa. Mabuza was due for another trial in connection with a spate of rhino poaching cases.

An illegal immigrant from Mozambique, Valoyi pleaded guilty to six rhino poaching related charges after he was arrested inside the Kruger National Park (KNP) in November of 2016. They reportedly included trespassing in a national park, possession of a firearm with the intention to commit a crime, possession of unlicensed ammunition, possession of a dangerous weapon, hunting, and being in possession of six rhino horns.

Meanwhile, three more rhino poaching suspects were arrested at the Lower Sabie section of the Park on separate incidents following Valoyi‘s arrest.

“In the last seven days we have noticed 25 poaching activities indicating the relentless onslaught that is being waged against our natural heritage by criminal syndicates,” Managing Executive of the KNP, Gareth Coleman, said in a statement. “We are grateful to have colleagues that continue to call on our communities to match the efforts of the Rangers for us to defeat these criminals. We thank the tourists who assisted in one of the arrests and encourage everyone to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities.”

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