Convictions Show Malawi ‘No Longer a Playground’ for Traffickers

ADF STAFF

Striking an important blow against wildlife poaching, Malawi recently sentenced members of the Lin-Zhang crime syndicate to a collective 56.5 years in prison for trafficking in wildlife parts.

The court sentenced nine members of the gang — seven Chinese nationals and two Malawians—  in July, closing a yearslong pursuit by Malawian law enforcement officials. The nine are among 14 gang members Malawian police arrested in May 2019.

Lin-Zhang, considered one of the most prolific wildlife trafficking organizations in southern Africa, has been operating in Malawi and nearby countries for a decade.

Officials arrested the leader of the organization, Lin Yunhua, last year after a three-month manhunt. He has been charged with possession of rhino horn, conspiracy and money laundering. His wife, Zhang Quinhua, who was among those sentenced in July, received an 11 years in prison. Lin’s son-in-law, Li Hao Yuan, received the same sentence.

The courts sentenced other members of the Lin-Zhang syndicate to sentences of from 1½ years to seven years for possessing prohibited animal parts such as hippo teeth, rhino horn, pangolin scales and ivory.

Many of the items gang members were found guilty of trafficking — pangolins, pangolin scales, and rhino horn — are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The items were seized by the government, which has recommended the Chinese nationals be deported after serving their prison terms.

After the sentencing, Brighton Kumchedwa, Malawi’s director of National Parks and Wildlife, thanked everyone who helped bring out the landmark case.

“Malawi is no longer a playground for the likes of the Lin-Zhang syndicate that exploit our natural heritage, damage our economy, incite corruption and pose a risk to national security,” Kumchedwa posted on his official Twitter feed.

In Malawi, as in much of southern Africa, poaching is a chronic problem that frequently has a direct connection to TCM (in the case of rhino horn or pangolin scales) or status-seeking members of Chinese society eager to dine on exotic wildlife. Historically, poachers targeted national parks along the porous Malawi-Zambia border due to lax law enforcement and weak punishments.

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, poachers have significantly reduced populations of lions, rhinoceroses and elephants in Malawi’s Kasungu National Park. The park’s location on the border with Zambia means poachers can easily escape Malawian law enforcement by crossing the border, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Those conditions have started to change, however.

In 2015, IFAW helped Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife set up its own intelligence and investigation unit to deal with wildlife trafficking. Later, Malawi also created a national task force to stop the trafficking of animal parts. Of nearly 200 poachers arrested in the unit’s first two years, 95% were convicted and one-third served jail sentence of at least three years, according to IFAW.

Malawi has signed agreements with Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia to work together to fight poaching.

“This sentencing was a milestone legal action.” Peter Li, China policy specialist for the Humane Society International, told ADF. “Strict law enforcement of all wildlife crimes will make laws for wildlife protection credible. Hopefully, all the other countries on the African continent will strengthen law enforcement and fight poaching and trafficking without any hesitation.”

Malawi arrested 1,000 alleged poachers in 2019, including some members of the Lin-Zhang gang. That was up from 600 the year before. That success is due to government-led initiatives that strengthened anti-poaching laws, emphasized intelligence-driven interdiction, and tightened interagency relationships, said Dorothy Tembo, head of programs for Lilongwe Wildlife Trust.

“Just five years ago, criminals were operating with impunity and could expect an average fine of just $40 with no threat of prison,” Tembo told ADF. “This case shows the returns of Malawi’s very progressive intelligence-led approach. It ultimately dismantled what is believed to be the region’s most prolific wildlife trafficking syndicate.”