Former US Official Caught Smuggling Ivory out of Kenya

It has emerged that on the same day US President Barack Obama was in Tanzania to announce increased aid to combat wildlife trafficking, a former US government official was arraigned after being caught with nearly two pounds of ivory he meant to smuggle out of Kenya.

American national David McNevin, who once served as a defense attaché at the American embassy in Kenya, was arraigned on July 1, just as Obama committed an additional $10 million in anti-wildlife trafficking aid in neighboring Tanzania.

McNevin was found with "five ivory bangles, seven ivory finger rings, seven ivory pendants and two pieces of worked ivory" weighing a total of 1.8 pounds (0.8 kg), the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) reported.

McNevin was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while trying to board a flight to Amsterdam on night of June 29.

According to The New York Times, McNevin pleaded guilty and paid a fine of 30,000 shillings (about $350 USD).

Paul Udoto, a spokesman for KWS, said McNevin was dealt with in "the way we deal with any criminal trying to commit a crime," adding that McNevin did not invoke diplomatic status and that the American embassy did not reach out to KWS.

"He was in a hurry to finish the case and get on his way," Udoto said, according to The Times.

The illegal trade of animals or animal parts has seen all-time financial highs in recent years. The illicit industry is believed to generate as much as $10 billion a year, placing it among the ranks of human trafficking, the drug trade, counterfeiting and the illegal arms trade, according to a Washington Post report.

Ivory is being smuggled out of Africa at unprecedented rates, leaving the fate of elephants on the continent in peril. Elephants could become extinct in Africa within a decade if the problem of poaching elephants for their tusks is not stopped, The Times reported, citing non-profit group Wildlife Direct.

The group called for the US to do more to stop the trade of ivory within its borders.

"We know that the US has thriving ivory markets, and 30 percent of the ivory is illegal," said Paula Kahumbu, executive director of Wildlife Direct. "We are calling for a US ban on domestic trade."

Trade of ivory has been linked to enabling the spread of weapons and promoting regional instability in parts of Africa, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a recent report to the UN Security Council, the highest international security body.

"Illegal ivory trade may currently constitute an important source of funding for armed groups," the report stated. "Also of concern is that poachers are using more and more sophisticated and powerful weapons, some of which, it is believed, might be originating from the fallout in Libya."