65 kgs of smuggled rhino horns, ivory busted at Hanoi airport
Customs officers at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport on April 16 discovered 65.42 kilograms of rhino horns and ivory being shipped from France on a Vietnam Airlines flight.
The shipment consisted of two boxes that contained 18 ivory parts weighing a total of 60.56 kilograms, and three rhino horns weighing 4.86 kilograms, according to the airport customs office.
The ivory may be of African elephants, they said.
The shipment was to be sent to VNPost Express Joint Stock Company.
Each gram of rhino horns reportedly can fetch US$133, while a kilogram of ivory costs US$2,100 in the black market.
According to the office, they are collaborating with relevant agencies in investigating the case.
It was one of many smuggling cases involving rhino horns and ivory that have been discovered in recent years in Vietnam, where their trade is illegal.
The country has been facing criticism from international conservation groups for failing to stop the illegal practice.
Many Vietnamese believe in medicinal effects of ivory and rhino horns, while some see them as a status symbol.