A Singapore court on Friday sentenced a South African man to two years in prison for smuggling rhino horn, the highest sentence ever handed down in the city-state for smuggling wild animal parts. is the most severe sentence.
Gumede Thembiso Joel was arrested at Singapore’s Changi Airport in 2022 after authorities found 20 rhino horns weighing 34.7 kilograms in his bag.
As he was traveling from South Africa to Laos via Singapore, a sniffer dog discovered contraband in his luggage.
They were worth about S$1.2 million (US$895,000) and were the largest seizure of rhino horn by a city-state.
The 33-year-old was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of passing with a rhino horn without a valid permit.
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“This is the most severe sentence ever handed down in Singapore for a case involving the smuggling of wildlife parts,” the National Parks Board of Singapore (NParks) said in a statement on Friday. Stated.
NParks said that after undergoing forensic analysis, the 18 horns were determined to belong to 15 different white rhinos, while the remaining two horns belonged to one black rhino. It has become clear.
Rhinos are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and international trade in their horns is prohibited.
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South Africa, home to almost 80% of the world’s rhinos, is a poaching hotspot fueled by demand from Asia.
The government announced that 448 rare animals were killed across the country in 2022, just three fewer than in 2021, despite increased protection in national parks.
Rhino horn is considered a status symbol and is believed to have medicinal properties in parts of Asia. They are also engraved on jewelry and household items such as combs, buttons, and belt buckles.
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