Vietnam Customs Find 100kg of Rhino Horn on Flight from Kenya

Customs authorities at Noi Bai International Airport in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi on March 14 seized more than 100 kilograms of rhino horn smuggled into the country through the flight KQ870 from Nairobi, Kenya. State media reported Wednesday that the horns were hidden in two suitcases with luggage cards of 3706KQ002462 and 3706KQ002486. No name and address of recipients put on the luggage. Local authorities are still investigating the case. Vietnam is a hot market for rhino horn with high demand among the country’s growing elite and middle-class. The country is a popular transit point for illegal animal products. Wildlife is often moved from Africa through Vietnam to other parts of Asia. Conservationists have warned that rampant demand for rhino horn in China and Vietnam, where it is falsely believed to cure cancer and treat hangovers, is decimating African rhino populations. According to local media, a kilo of rhino horn can fetch up to $60,000 on the local markets. Trade in rhino horn was banned globally in 1977 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). (Thanh Nien – Young People Mar 15, Bao Hai Quan – Customs Newspaper Mar 15)