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Just in case you may have missed it, we wanted to draw your attention to a success that you helped make possible through your support of EIA.
Yunhua Lin, a Chinese national, who was head of the ‘Lin-Zhang gang’, one of Southern Africa’s most prolific wildlife trafficking syndicates, was sentenced yesterday to spend 14 years behind bars in Malawi.
He had been found guilty of dealing in rhino horn, possession of rhino horn and money laundering. He will be deported back to China on completion of his jail term.
It was a landmark sentence in Malawi - the highest handed down to a non-African national convicted of wildlife crime. Between 2010 and 2016, wildlife criminals would have expected to face an average fine of just $50.
Lin’s sentencing brings the total of Lin-Zhang gang members sent to prison to 14; 10 Chinese and four Malawians have received jail sentences for a variety of offences related to the possession of firearms and protected or listed species, including pangolins, rhino horns, hippo teeth and elephant ivory.
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