The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has begun the process of taking custody of a massive cache of wildlife contraband confiscated at Entebbe International Airport between 2012 and 2018, marking a significant step in the management of exhibits linked to wildlife trafficking cases.
According to UWA, the contraband includes 6,017 kilogrammes of ivory, comprising both raw and worked pieces, approximately two tonnes of pangolin scales weighing 2,030 kilogrammes, 114 kilogrammes of rhino horns, 8.8 kilogrammes of hippopotamus teeth, as well as assorted wildlife products including skins and lion teeth.
The illegal wildlife products were seized during joint operations conducted by UWA and security agencies at Entebbe International Airport over a six-year period. Since their confiscation, the exhibits have been stored at the Aviation Police station in Entebbe.
“Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has commenced the process of taking custody of wildlife contraband that was confiscated at Entebbe International Airport between 2012 and 2018,” the authority said in a statement.
UWA noted that Aviation Police Entebbe decided to hand over the exhibits due to limited storage space at the station.
“The handover exercise officially commenced on 19th May 2026 and has been ongoing for the past 10 days,” the statement said, adding that the exercise is being led by Assistant Commissioner for Law Enforcement, Margret Kasumba.
The authority revealed that traffickers had employed sophisticated concealment methods to evade detection.
“Some of the seized ivory had been concealed in tins labelled as shea butter in an attempt to evade detection,” UWA said.
The authority also attributed a significant decline in major wildlife trafficking seizures at Entebbe International Airport to enhanced security measures introduced in recent years.
“Since the deployment of the canine unit at the airport in 2018, there has not been any major seizure of wildlife contraband of similar magnitude at Entebbe International Airport,” UWA said.
The agency explained that the improvement was “largely attributed to heightened surveillance and strengthened security measures, which have discouraged traffickers from using the airport as a transit route for illegal wildlife products.”
The ongoing transfer underscores Uganda’s continued efforts to combat wildlife trafficking, a crime that threatens endangered species across Africa and fuels international criminal networks.
UWA said the operation to transfer and secure the exhibits is still underway.
