Vietnam customs seize almost 20kg of rhino horns from Philippines
Thursday, December 02, 2021, 12:52 GMT+7
Customs officers at Hai Phong Port in the namesake northern Vietnamese city confirmed on Wednesday that they had discovered nearly 20 kilograms of rhino horns inside two shipping containers from the Philippines.
The four animal horns, weighing a combined 19.5 kilograms, were separated into two packages and transported by sea from Manila Port in the Philippines to Nam Hai Dinh Vu Port in Hai Phong City, according to a customs representative.
The Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology identified the four animal horns seized by the Hai Phong Port customs officers as rhino horns.
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| This supplied photo shows four rhino horns illegally transported from the Philippines to Hai Phong City, Vietnam. |
Each kilogram of rhino horn fetches over VND1 billion (US$44,000) on the black market.
Vietnam’s monthly per capita income in 2020 was estimated at VND4.23 million ($180), according to the official VGP News.
The penal code of Vietnam prohibits the illegal trade and use of rhino horn.
The shipment is one of the largest rhino horn busts detected by customs at Hai Phong Port in recent years, according to the customs officers.
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