Nairobi — Detectives from the office of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a 42-year-old woman who was ferrying 250 kilograms of the rare sandalwood species valued at Sh750,000.
DCI said the suspect identified as Beth Wambui was arrested at Athi River in Machakos headed towards Mombasa. The the fine-grained pieces of wood recovered was concealed in the trunk of her vehicle.
The aromatic tree is harvested illegally after the government outlawed its reaping in 2007.
"However, unscrupulous traders continue to uproot the tree predominantly found in Baringo and Samburu counties," DCI tweeted on Thursday.
The tree is harvested for its essential oil, which is extracted to manufacture medicines and cosmetics and it has been registered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list of Threatened Species.
The suspect is set to be arraigned and charged with dealing with endangered wildlife species contrary to Section 92 of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act.
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