Nearly 12 kg of rhino horn found in Vietnamese passenger’s luggage at Thai airport
VOV.VN - Thai law enforcement officers have seized 11.75 kg of rhino horn from the luggage of a Vietnamese national at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, as part of intensified efforts to curb cross-border wildlife trafficking.
The case was detected on the evening of February 9 (local time), after X-ray screening showed unusual images in a checked foam box. A joint team of wildlife control officers, customs officials, immigration officers and environmental police identified the luggage as belonging to a 36-year-old Vietnamese man.
According to initial findings, the passenger had departed from Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, transited Ethiopia and Thailand, and was scheduled to continue to Vientiane on Thai Airways flight TG574.
Inspection uncovered six sections of rhino horn, packed in three bundles, with a total weight of 11.75 kg. Officers also recovered approximately 12 kg of animal hides, which were used to conceal the horns. The man failed to present any permits related to the export, import or transit of wildlife products.
The man and all seized items were transferred to the Suvarnabhumi Airport police station for further handling in accordance with Thai law. The specimens were sent to a wildlife forensic centre for species identification to support the investigation.
Thai officials said the case forms part of ongoing efforts to dismantle transnational wildlife trafficking networks, with Thailand frequently exploited as a transit point to neighbouring countries.
A similar case involving a Vietnamese passenger was detected at the same airport in September 2025.
One man charged in biggest ever rhino horn smuggling case
The People's Procuracy of Hanoi on September 6 approved a decision to prosecute a man in connection with the largest ever rhino horn smuggling ring in Vietnam, with a total volume of up to 126.5 kg.
