HANOI (AFP) – A court in Vietnam has sentenced a man to 13 years in jail for trafficking nearly 10 tonnes of rhino horns, pangolin scales, and other banned wildlife products.
Environmentalists hailed Tuesday’s verdict as a “rare success” in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.
Nguyen Duc Tai transported rhino horns, elephant tusks, pangolin scales and lion bones from South Africa and Nigeria to Vietnam in July 2021 and January 2022, according to a court in Danang in central Vietnam.
He was taken into custody last year.
Vietnam is a transport hub for illegal wildlife in Asia.
Pangolins, the world’s most trafficked mammal, are seen as a delicacy and are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine.
Although the trade is illegal, environmentalists say law enforcement is still lacking.
