Customs agents seize smuggled rhino horns

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon

MANILA, Philippines—Agents of the Bureau of Customs seized some P72 million worth of rhinoceros horns which a local importer allegedly tried to smuggle from Mozambique, Africa.

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said the six pieces of horns of the endangered African rhino, which weigh around 13 kg, arrived at the Manila International Container Port last Aug. 25 but were only inspected and discovered Friday, hidden inside 300 sacks of cashew nuts.

“The seizure of these rhinoceros horns today should serve as a warning to ill-minded traders that the Philippines is no place for them to indulge in their illicit trade,” Biazon said in a statement.

Huge demand in Asia, where some people believe pulverized rhino horn can cure cancers or malaria, have led to hundreds of the large, plant-eating mammals being slaughtered by poachers every year in Africa.

It was only the second time that local authorities have intercepted a rhino-horn shipment. The horns are typically smuggled to Vietnam, China and Laos, where they are pulverized and used in traditional medicine.

The importation of the rhino horns was undeclared, which was a violation of the Tariff and Customs Code and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Faura and Flora, he said.

“We strongly condemn the smuggling of endangered species because it causes irreparable damage to nature and environment,” Biazon told reporters during an inspection held at MICP.

Deputy Commissioner Danilo Lim said the shipper of the rhinoceros horns, Chisteva Import and Export of Mozambique, did not file an entry for its consignee and broker, which raised suspicion among Customs intelligence agents that the importation was illegal.

The MICP-CIIS immediately conducted surveillance operations on the shipment.

“After validating the surveillance reports of our operatives that there were other concealed items in the cashew nuts importation, we immediately issued the Alert Order to hold the shipment.” Lim said.

He added that the shipment would be turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Chris Shepherd, deputy regional director for the global wildlife monitoring network Traffic, said the only previous known smuggling through Manila was two years ago when two white rhino horns were found among seized elephant tusks.

He said it was “very likely” more rhino horns were illicitly passing through Philippine ports citing its growing reputation as a way point for large illegal shipments of Asian reptiles and other wildlife.

“The Philippines would not have been the end destination. It would have been Vietnam, and possibly China,” Shepherd told AFP. With AFP