3 Vietnamese, 8 others arrested by Customs for smuggling 397kg of Pangolin scales

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS working in collaboration with Wildlife Justice Commission, WJC has arrested three Vietnamese, eight others and intercepted 397.5kg of pangolin scales.  The service said it arrested 8 suspects in connection with the seizure.  The eight arrested suspects attempted trafficking large pangolin scales and Ivories through Nigeria.  The Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali (rtd) in a statement signed by the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Timi Bomodi, said that preliminary investigation revealed these three Vietnamese nationals are high-ranking members of a major organised crime group involved in the trafficking of ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horns and lion bones from Mozambique and South Africa through Nigeria to Vietnam. 

The three suspects were arrested while sourcing for pangolin scales in Nigeria, 397.5kg of which were found in their possession. The Customs boss noted that “It is important to note that the Wildlife Justice Commission is an international body which works to disrupt and dismantle networks of illegal wildlife trade. “Through an intelligence-led operation, the collaboration between NCS and WJC led to the confiscation of 400 Kg of pangolin scales put up for sale on the illegal network.  The two organisations were able to identify other members of the criminal syndicate for arrest. To further put a stop to the environmental destruction posed by these unscrupulous elements, the arrested suspects have been charged to court on various counts bordering on the illegal trade in wildlife.

“These arrests came as part of a proactive enforcement operation targeting the top echelon of wildlife traffickers worldwide, and are assessed to have caused unprecedented disruptions to organized global wildlife trafficking network. This is the fourth major illegal wildlife arrest in one year resulting from the strategic partnership between the Nigeria Customs Service, Wildlife Justice Commission and other foreign governments.  “It demonstrates the commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service as a formidable ally in the fight against wildlife trafficking,” he noted.