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Customs officials at the Lunga Lunga border post in Coast region have intercepted some 201 pieces of dried butterflies and 20 pieces of vulterine Guinea fowl feathers sneaked into the country from Tanzania.

The restricted consignment was seized from a man who was suspected to have been illegally planning to export the shipment to Hungary and United Kingdom respectively.

The suspect was arrested while travelling by road from Tanga to Mombasa. 

Custom officials said the suspect had a temporary Tanzanian passport. However, he did not have a required permit from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other relevant authorising institutions as required by law.

The consignment was intercepted by customs officials during a routine scanning exercise at the border post,” a statement from KRA said.  

“The officials noticed the suspicious cargo prompting them to physically verify contents of the shipment and later discovered the restricted items. He was also found to be in possession of a stamp with initials of the Director of Veterinary Services, Dar es Salaam, ” the statement said.  

Documents indicate that the dried butterfly’s consignee is located in Szombathely, Hungary while an invoice indicated that the consignor for the vulterine guinea fowl feathers was in Dar es Salaam. 

KRA said it had handed over the suspect to KWS for further interrogation and action. Guinea fowl and butterfly trophies are restricted goods under the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA) second schedule.

KRA is a custodian of the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and other local and international laws.