Man handed five years imprisonment for storing 780kg of African pangolin scales

June 03, 2021 - 13:41

The People’s Court of northern province Hưng Yên on Wednesday sentenced a man to five years and three months in jail for storing 780kg of pangolin scales.

Pangolin scales. — VNA/VNS Photo Hùng Võ

HÀ NỘI — The People’s Court of northern province Hưng Yên on Wednesday sentenced a man to five years and three months in jail for storing 780kg of pangolin scales.

The convicted man is Nguyễn Văn Long, 36, residing in Tân Tiến Commune in Hưng Yên Province’s Văn Giang District.

During a raid on the house of Long's older brother in September 2018, the Environmental Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security, in collaboration with local police, detected 32 sacks containing 780kg of pangolin scales without a certificate of origin. Long later admitted he owned the goods.

The goods included 225kg of giant pangolin scales and 555kg of white-bellied pangolin scales, worth nearly VNĐ1.1 billion (US$48,000).

These pangolin species do not exist in nature in Việt Nam and are listed in the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The court also ordered the destruction of the confiscated scales.

Bùi Thị Hà, Deputy Director of Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), said this is the first case relating to African pangolin scales brought to trial in the past five years.

Earlier, in July 2020, the provincial People’s Court also sentenced Nguyễn Đình Hồng, born in 1989 and residing in the central province of Hà Tĩnh, to 16 years in prison after being caught transporting 116 pangolins. — VNS

Nguyễn Văn Long stands trial in Hưng Yên Province. — Photo courtesy by ENV

Tags environment wildlife violations ENV

Significant progress in fisheries' environmental protection but challenges remain

Environment

Hà Nội prepares for temperature drop as cold front approaches

Environment

Rare green sea turtle released in Quảng Trị

Environment

Hundreds of damaged irrigation reservoirs need repairing

Environment

IUCN-MARD workshop tackles marine environmental issues

Environment

A new plant species discovered in central Việt Nam

More on this story

Environment

Việt Nam aims to shift to circular economy: minister

Việt Nam is working to shift from a linear economy to a circular economy based on the three pillars of designing and prolonging material lifespan, reducing waste and emissions, and restoring the ecological system, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà has said.

Environment

Việt Nam hands over rhino horn DNA samples to South Africa

The Vietnam CITES Management Authority and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources handed over 56 rhino horn DNA samples to the South African Embassy in Việt Nam on Tuesday.

Environment

Hà Nội, other provinces suffering extremely hot weather, high UV index

Hà Nội and other northern provinces have been witnessing extremely hot weather, with the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) predicting the current intense heat wave would last for the next 2-3 days.

Environment

Report on youth action for climate change in Việt Nam debuts

The event was co-organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Việt Nam, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and the Central Committee of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union.

Environment

Kiên Giang Province focuses on growing, protecting forests

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang is developing mangrove forests in coastal areas and improving the livelihoods of households that protect forests.

Environment

Cần Thơ building embankments along river to prevent erosion

Cần Thơ on May 27 began construction of an erosion prevention embankment on the right bank of the Ô Môn River in Ô Môn District’s Thới An Ward.

Environment

Man goes from poacher to forest guardian

Once a hunter, he has laid down his rifle and become an active wildlife protector in Kim Bảng District in northern Hà Nam Province.

Environment

La Vie plant gets Alliance for Water Stewardship certification

The La Vie water bottling plant in Hưng Yên Province has received certification for meeting the Alliance for Water Stewardship standard, an international standard for how water should be stewarded at a site and catchment level for environment, social and economically benefit.