SEATTLE (AP) — Two foreign nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo who pleaded guilty in federal court in Seattle to participating in a smuggling ring that brought illegal ivory, rhinoceros horn and pangolin scales into the U.S. have been sentenced.
The Justice Department said on Tuesday Herdade Lokua was sentenced to 20 months and Jospin Mujangi was sentenced to 14 months in prison. They both previously pleaded guilty to two counts of an 11-count indictment alleging they worked with a middleman to facilitate shipments of poached items into Seattle.
The men admitted they traveled to Seattle in 2021 to meet in Edmonds with prospective buyers who were actually undercover federal agents.