Vietnamese man imprisoned for ivory smuggling

May 05, 2017 - 09:23

The Hà Nội People’s Court yesterday sentenced Phạm Văn Luật, a resident in Hải Phòng City, to 12 years in prison for illegally transporting ivory, a type of banned goods, under Clause 1, Article 155 of the Penal Code.

The Hà Nội People’s Court yesterday sentenced Phạm Văn Luật, a resident in Hải Phòng City, to 12 years in prison for illegally transporting ivory, a banned good under Clause 1, Article 155 of the Penal Code. — Photo baophapluat.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội People’s Court yesterday sentenced Phạm Văn Luật, a resident in Hải Phòng City, to 12 years in prison for illegally transporting ivory, a banned good under Clause 1, Article 155 of the Penal Code.
On August 12, 2015, anti-smuggling police and the customs force at the Nội Bài international airport in Hà Nội carried a check of Luật’s luggage after he arrived on a flight from Luanda (Angola). They found in his suitcase 24 chunks of ivory and a number of ivory bangles, weighing 50.6 kg in total.
When the ivory was detected, Luật fled the airport. More than a year later, on December 22, 2016, he handed himself in to police and admitted his violation of law.
Luật told the police that he was paid US$200 to carry the ivory from Luanda to Việt Nam by a man named Quang, who he made acquaintance of while working in Angola.
The seized ivory was found to be tusks of the Loxodonta Africana elephant, a species listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
A separate investigation will be launched into the man named Quang, as the police has not obtained accurate information on his identity and address. — VNS

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