The smugglers did not have any documentation authorizing them to transport the reptiles.The suspects said that the tortoises were being transported to a local sanctuary in Mbale for breeding.
Mr Josey Muhangi, the Public Relations Manager, UWA noted that each tortoise was valued at $5000 (Shs16.7m) on the black market in Asia.
However, according to Havocscope an online directory of black market information, a tortoise in Malaysia alone can be valued upwards of $10,000.
They are highly valuable in Asian and Chinese communities for food and the shells can be crushed into powder for medicinal purposes, he said. He added that there are currently no permits for to export tortoises but revealed there were permits for people to rear them in their homes.
“It is not possible that one person was given a permit to rear 152 tortoises. We are going to make sure these people are prosecuted for the illegal movement of wildlife,” he adds.
The tortoises are to be returned to Nakapiririt in Karamoja where the smugglers are alleged to have picked them from.
According to Uganda Wildlife Authority, during the rainy season the tortoises often roam around on flat lands like Karamoja, which makes it easy for them to be picked.
Uganda has had several cases of wildlife smuggling with the most common one being ivory tusks from elephants. In 2015, Uganda Wildlife Authority awarded an export permit for pangolin scales valued at millions of dollars.
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