3 Years in Prison for Illegal Wildlife Transportation
The People’s Court of Cao Bang Province recently sentenced Hoang Van Thinh (born in 1988, residing in Soc Ha Commune, Ha Quang District, Cao Bang Province) to three years in prison for “violating regulations on the protection of endangered, precious, and rare animals,” as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 244 of the 2015 Penal Code, amended and supplemented in 2017.
According to the indictment, Cao Bang Provincial Police caught Hoang Van Thinh in the act of illegally transporting 5.4 kg of rhino horns and 50 kg of Javan pangolin scales. It was reported that Thinh had received a payment of 20 million VND for transporting this illegal wildlife cargo.
Defendant Hoang Van Thinh in court. (Photo: ENV)
According to the Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), rhinos and pangolins are endangered species requiring absolute protection under Vietnamese and international law. The illegal trade and transportation of products derived from these species not only violate the law but also cause severe damage to natural ecosystems.
ENV also noted that Cao Bang has recently become a significant route for the illegal wildlife trade. Traffickers often exploit trails and unofficial border crossings to transport endangered species from Vietnam to neighboring countries. This poses a considerable challenge to wildlife protection and management efforts by authorities in border areas.
According to ENV statistics, at least 21 wildlife-related cases have been recorded in Cao Bang Province since 2022. Most of these cases occurred in areas bordering China or involved transportation to border checkpoints for illegal export to foreign markets. These incidents highlight a worrying trend in wildlife trafficking in the region.
The three-year prison sentence for Hoang Van Thinh serves as a stern warning to those who disregard the law and view wildlife trafficking as an easy way to profit. However, to entirely curb illegal wildlife trade, close cooperation among enforcement agencies, wildlife protection organizations, and communities is essential in detecting and addressing such violations.
Let’s take action now to protect wildlife, ensuring a sustainable future where no species faces the threat of extinction!
Source: Lao Dong Newspaper
