Man pleads guilty to trafficking eight lion teeth

Story by Parvel Makona A 37-year-old Marondera man has pleaded guilty to illegally trafficking eight lion teeth valued at US$20 000 without the required permit. Kenias Sekero pleaded guilty to contravening Section 59B (2) of the Parks and Wildlife Act after offering three lion canine teeth and five lion incisor teeth for sale in Harare. The State alleges that on September 5, 2026, Sekero was arrested at Africa Unity Square after detectives from the CID Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit received information that he was in possession of lion teeth which he intended to sell in Harare's Central Business District. The detectives posed as prospective buyers and arranged to meet Sekero at Africa Unity Square. According to the State outline, Sekero entered the undercover vehicle at about 11:30 hours and produced a wrapped bench paper containing the eight lion teeth. He demanded US$150 for the three canine teeth and US$130 for the five incisors. The purported buyer then gave a signal to the police backup team, which moved in and recovered the eight teeth from Sekero. When asked to produce a licence or permit authorising him to possess and traffic the wildlife products, Sekero failed to do so, leading to his arrest. The State says a Parks and Wildlife Management Authority official, Everisto Simayo, examined the recovered items and confirmed that they were three lion canine teeth and five lion incisor teeth removed from a lion valued at US$20 000. Sekero pleaded guilty to the wildlife trafficking charge and was remanded in custody pending sentencing.