Big shipment of rhino horns, wild animal bones seized in Da Nang
VOV.VN - Customs officers of Da Nang city in collaboration with other relevant units discovered a shipment of 138kg of suspected rhino horns and 3.1 tonnes of animal bones taken from various rare and precious wildlife species.
The shipment had been imported from South Africa to Tien Sa port and contained smuggled goods packed into cartons hidden in a container. Its owner had falsely declared that the imported goods were wood products.
Local customs are coordinating efforts with competent agencies in a bid to verify and handle the suspected wildlife items.
Vietnam has banned the trade, import, and export of rhino horns as the rhino and many other wild animals are featured on a list of endangered wildlife protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Indeed, the country has ratified the convention since 1994 and has strictly enforced its policies.
Transporting or trading wildlife parts is a criminal offense in Vietnam and lawbreakers are liable to punishment of between six months and 12 years in prison, according to the Penal Code.
