HIDDEN RHINO HORN INSIDE TOY BOX
VCN – On 8/5, Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch – HCMC Customs Department said that, the unit has coordinated with Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department – General Department of Customs and Enforcement team –HCMC Customs Department to detect and temporarily arrest a male passenger, 20 years old, Vietnamese nationality, entered to Vietnam on the flight from Africa to Vietnam. He carried illegally 3 pieces of rhino horns with total weight nearly 1.5 kg inside his personal luggage.
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| Smuggled rhino horn |
Those are the horn of Diceros bicornis, a kind of rare African rhino, the total value of those exhibits is nearly 2 billion vnd.
This man used a sophisticated trick to hide those rhino horns inside personal luggage, especially using toy box in order to escape competent force’s notice. However, by using professional measures and information collection, Customs authorities have discovered timely and stop the case.
Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs are completing procedure to prosecute a case and continue to collaborate with other competent authorities in order to investigate the line, group and violated acts of the subject.
Earlier, in 4/2017, Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs also collaborated with Anti-Smuggling Crime Police Department (C74) – Ministry of Public Security and Police Division on Economic Management Order and Positions (PC46) – HCMC Police to detect and seize a smuggled case of 5kg rhino horn and over 4kg of products made by African ivory and scab operculum of pangolin. The case has been prosecuted about illegal transportation goods across the border by Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch.
Once again, through this case, it shows the Vietnam’s determination in the commitment of wild and endangered animal protection.
By Lê Thu/Thanh Thuy
Source: http://customsnews.vn/