YUNNAN: Three people detained by police in southwest China’s Yunnan Province are facing charges in connection with the smuggling of products made from protected animals, police said here the other day.
Acting on tip-offs from the public, the Mangshi forest police found that the suspects were owners of a shop selling wood carvings. After a three-week investigation, a woman surnamed Huang, her son and nephew were arrested .
A total of 219 tiger bones, rhino horns, ivory products and African lion paws were seized. Their combined value, according to police, exceeded 1.39 million yuan (US$ 218,000).
“I have worked 20 years in the police, and I’ve never seen such a large quantity of trafficked wildlife parts. Some are made from endangered animals,” said Hu Jiaguo, deputy director of the Mangshi forest police bureau.
Police said they believed the parts and products had been smuggled from other countries to sell to Chinese buyers. A further investigation is underway.
Smuggling parts of protected wild life can result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
