The People's Court of Cao Bang province has just sentenced a subject to 3 years in prison for the crime of "Violating regulations on the protection of endangered, precious and rare animals" according to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 244 of the Penal Code 2015, amended and supplemented in 2017.
Previously, Cao Bang Provincial Police discovered and arrested Hoang Van Thinh (born in 1988, residing in Soc Ha Commune, Ha Quang District, Cao Bang Province) for illegally transporting 5.4 kg of rhino horn and 50 kg of Java pangolin scales. It is known that the subject was hired to transport the above goods for 20 million VND.
“Cao Bang is currently known as a new route that many individuals/groups of individuals take advantage of to illegally transport and trade wildlife from Vietnam to neighboring countries,” said Ms. Bui Thi Ha, Deputy Director of ENV.
According to ENV's Wildlife Violation Data System, from 2022 to now, ENV has recorded at least 21 cases related to wildlife occurring in Cao Bang province, most of which were discovered in areas bordering China or on the way to areas near border gates for the purpose of illegal transportation across the border through trails and openings.
ENV representative hopes that the 3-year prison sentence for Hoang Van Thinh will be a wake-up call for others who continue to blatantly disregard the law.
"We hope that the authorities of Cao Bang province will continue to strengthen control, arrest and strictly handle violations related to wildlife, in order to prevent subjects from continuing to use the road through Cao Bang province to illegally transport and trade wildlife," said an ENV representative.
Rhinoceros (Rhinocerotidae spp.) and pangolin (Manis javanica) are endangered, precious, and rare wildlife species protected at the highest level under Vietnamese and international law.
These species are listed in the List of endangered, precious and rare species prioritized for protection issued together with Decree 160/2013/ND-CP (amended and supplemented by Decree 64/2019/ND-CP) and/or Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Depending on the nature and severity, the act of illegally storing and trading rhino horns and pangolin scales can be prosecuted with a penalty of up to 15 years in prison for individuals under Article 244 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017) or an administrative fine of up to VND 360 million for individuals under Article 23 of Decree 35/2019/ND-CP (amended and supplemented by Decree 07/2022/ND-CP).
