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Convicted, freed and arrested again: Ivory trafficker Feisal Ali busted with rhino horns
Mr Feisal Mohammed Ali.
Infamous ivory trafficker Feisal Mohammed Ali, whose previous 20-year conviction was overturned in 2018, has been arrested again — this time in possession of 2.2 kilogrammes of rhino horn.
According to information seen by the Nation from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Mr Feisal was nabbed on Tuesday afternoon at Mama Ngina Waterfront in Mombasa.
The arrest was the result of a joint operation by KWS and the Rapid Response Police Unit.
He was initially booked at Mombasa Central Police Station before being airlifted to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi the same evening for further interrogation.
He was then brought before JKIA court on Wednesday. At the mention, the presiding magistrate granted the defence lawyer’s request for additional time to review affidavits filed by investigators seeking to detain him and other suspects for further investigation.
The matter will be mentioned again on August 28, 2025.
Previous conviction
At some point, Mr Ali was considered one of the world's most notorious ivory traffickers. Interpol had issued an international arrest warrant for him in 2014 in connection with the seizure of 228 tusks in Mombasa that year.
Then Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa (right) and other officers inspect 228 pieces of ivory at Makupa Police Station on June 5, 2014. The ivory was found at a warehouse in Tudor area, Mombasa, the day before.
In 2016, he was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking 2,152 kilogrammes of ivory worth Sh44 million. The consignment, described by conservationists as one of the largest illegal hauls in East Africa, was linked to the killing of hundreds of elephants.
However, in 2018, the High Court quashed his conviction citing procedural irregularities, leading to his release.
The ruling sparked global outcry, with wildlife conservation groups accusing authorities of laxity in prosecuting high-profile traffickers.
Authorities said his long-term associate, Mohammed Hassan Kontoma, was also arrested during the swoop.
