Five people were arrested in Vietnam after police stopped a bus carrying nearly half a tonne of endangered animals and animal parts, local police said on Monday.
Traffic police in Nghe An province stopped a 24-seat passenger bus on Wednesday and found 14kg of bear paws, 227kg of live turtles, 44kg of live pythons, 12kg of stag antlers, and 100kg of unidentified animal bones, said Ho Duc Dich, the head of the province’s traffic police.
The animal parts were found hidden under the seats of the bus, and police estimate that the haul is worth at least $64 000, Dich said from the province, 190kg south of Hanoi.
”Pham Van Hai was identified as the owner of the goods which were supposed to have been transported from Nghe An to restaurants in the northern provinces,” the police officer said.
Hai was arrested the same day as the animals were discovered and three other men were arrested on Thursday, Dich said.
”All these animals are the kind of wild animals that it is forbidden to exploit under Vietnam’s wild animal protection laws, especially the bears,” he added.
All five suspects are in detention in Nghe An, awaiting further investigation, and if convicted, they could be punished with anything up to 15 years in prison, the police officer said.
Endangered animals are widely used in Vietnam for traditional medicine and food. In the past, most of the lucrative trafficking ended in China, but Vietnam’s improving economy means that more endangered species are being consumed domestically. – Sapa-DPA