Tanzania jails Chinese 'Ivory Queen' trafficker for 15 years

A Tanzanian court on Tuesday sentenced a Chinese woman dubbed the "Ivory Queen" to 15 years in jail for her role in trafficking tusks from more than 400 elephants.

Yang Fenlan, 69, was convicted in Dar es Salaam of trafficking 860 tusks between 2000 and 2014, a haul representing the slaughter of dozens of herds of elephants.

Two Tanzanian men were also found guilty for their role in the illegal commerce. They were also sentenced to 15 years each.

"The prosecution proved the case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt," Judge Huruma Shaidi told the court.

The prosecution showed the two men had collected elephant tusks across Tanzania, bringing them to Frenlan.

"The testimonies proved that all three accused worked hand in hand," Shaidi said.

The trio were also ordered to pay a joint fine of 13 million dollars (11.5 million euros) -- roughly equivalent to twice the market value of the ivory they profited from -- or face an additional two years in jail.

Defence lawyers said they ...