KITALE, Kenya, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A police officer and two civilians were arrested on Sunday in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County after being found with elephant tusks weighing 1.5 kilograms.

The suspects, including an administration police officer, were nabbed with the tusk valued at about 800,000 shillings (about 7,400 U.S. dollars).

Police said detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) intelligence officers posed as buyers before pouncing on the suspects.

According to Endebess sub-county DCI chief Peter Ochieng, the suspects were on police radar and his officers laid a trap to arrest them.

"The three had been on our radar and we dispatched officers to pose as buyers and caught them ferrying the tusk on a motorcycle," said Ochieng.

He said the trio are key players in poaching activities at Mt Elgon National Park who have been put under custody before arraigned in court.

"We are holding them in custody before we present them to court. We are also pursuing other suspects linked to the crime," he said.

The arrest comes barely a week after KWS launched a manhunt for six dangerous suspected poachers blamed for rampant poaching of antelopes and buffalos for meat at Mt Elgon National Park.

Senior warden Josephat Wambua said they are on high alert on armed poachers trapping and killing wild animals at the park.

Wambua said KWS rangers are tracking down armed men blamed for poaching of wild animals especially buffalos and antelopes. Enditem

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