Ivory, pangolin traffickers sentenced to 48 years in jail
The People’s Court of Hanoi on July 16 sentenced three men to a total of 32 years in jail for trading over 200kg of ivory of African elephants – an endangered species.
The African elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to 3.96 metres. (Photo: dongvat.net)
Hanoi (VNA) - The People’s Court of Hanoi on July 16 sentenced three men to atotal of 32 years in jail for trading over 200kg of ivory of African elephants– an endangered species.
TheAfrican elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal with bulls reaching ashoulder height of up to 3.96 metres. Both sexes have tusks, which erupt whenthey are 1–3 years old and grow throughout life.
Thewildlife trafficking case was detected on September 30, 2019 as Hanoi’s policefound two cars at Thien Thanh Fishing Area in Phu Dong commune, Gia Lam district,with bags containing suspected elephant tusks.
Whenpolice asked to examine the bags, some of the suspects attempted to escape. Thepolice caught Duong Van Phong, 40 years old, from the northern province of BacGiang and Nguyen Van Nam, 38 years old, from Hanoi’s Cau Giay district. Anothertrafficker Nguyen Van Hung, 29 years old, from the northern province of Lang Sonturned himself into police later.
Phongadmitted that a Chinese man and a Vietnamese interpreter who he met lastSeptember told him that they wanted to buy a large amount of ivory and wouldpay him 12.5 million VND for a kilo of ivory.
Inthe middle of the month, Phong told Nam about the deal and Nam agreed to supplyivory.
OnSeptember 30, Phong and Nam met the buyers at Ninh Hiep Market in Gia Lam district.Nam asked his cousin Nguyen Van Hung to drive the ivory-carrying car to theagreed location.
Theywere caught by environment police that night. The Chinese man and theinterpreter ran away.
Namsaid that he bought the ivory from a person living in Hanoi’s Hoang Mai district.
Atthe court, Nam and Phong were given 11-year jail sentences each while Hungas an assistant was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Thesame day, the People’s Court of northern Hung Yen province sentenced NguyenDinh Hong, a 31 year-old man from central Ha Tinh province, 11 years in jailfor illegally trading 116 pangolins.
Healso got another five-year sentence for “destroying or intentionally damagingassets”./.
The Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) recorded 1,777 violations related to wild animal protection in 2019, according to deputy director of ENV Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung.
Local residents in the south central province of Binh Dinh have voluntarily handed over a pangolin and red-shanked douc langur, the two rare and precious animals, to the provincial forest management department.
The People’s Court of the southernmost province of Ca Mau has sentenced a company director to 13 years in prison and a fine of 100 million VND (4,280 USD) for organising trafficking of rare and endangered wildlife.
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The African elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to 3.96 metres. (Photo: dongvat.net) 
