Case against alleged lion cub ‘smugglers’ delayed as police get DNA samples

The case of three men accused of smuggling a lion cub into Cape Town’s southern suburbs will continue in February after it emerged that the investigating officer is trying to obtain DNA evidence from the place the cub was allegedly smuggled from.

Shurud Jacobs, Moegamat Rayaan Simons and Sulaiman Effendi were arrested in August after the cub was found at Effendi’s Athlone home.

News24 previously reported that the cub was transported from Thabazimbi, north-west of Pretoria, to the Western Cape.

After it was found, the Stock Theft Unit registered a possession of endangered species docket and the cub was taken to a place of safety.

Appearing in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, the men heard that the investigating officer was in Thabazimbi, gathering evidence to establish whether the cub in question was, in fact, the one taken from Thabazimbi, as was previously reported.

Police previously said the cub had an estimated street value of R50,000.

The State requested the return date to give enough time for the DNA analysis to take place and to compile a report.

The three men – aged 28, 29, and 31 – were arrested for allegedly possessing a protected animal.

All three men are out on R5,000 bail each.

The matter has been postponed to February 13.

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