Defendants at the trial on Tuesday. — Photo hanoimoi.vn

HÀ NỘI — Five former employees of Nội Bài International Airport were sentenced to a maximum of nine years in prison by the Hà Nội People's Court on Tuesday for violating regulations on the protection of endangered, precious, and rare animals.

The employees were found to have exploited their positions at the airport to illegally transport rhino horns and elephant tusks.

According to the indictment, on June 27, 2023, authorities discovered that Nguyễn Đoàn Giáp, a shift leader in the baggage service team, had illicitly taken four suitcases.

His suspicious behaviour caught the attention of authorities, who requested Giáp to open the suitcases. Inside, they found 54kg of elephant tusks and over 22kg of rhino horns.

The investigation revealed that the defendants were hired by Nguyễn Hồng Vân, who is currently on the run, to transport the horns and tusks. The smuggled suitcases, marked in advance, would be transported from the baggage area to the domestic E hall, where they would be handed over to Vân's associates in exchange for payment.

Specifically, Dương Ngô Thu received VNĐ40 million (US$1,592) per item from Nguyễn Hồng Vân, while Hùng and Giáp received VNĐ20 million (US$796) per item. The defendants also confessed to repeatedly receiving items sent from abroad for Nguyễn Hồng Vân, with total payments reaching billions of đồng.

Based on the evidence, the court sentenced Thu, a former employee of the Nội Bài International Airport Security Centre, to nine years in prison for violating regulations on the protection of endangered, precious, and rare animals. Phạm Huy Hùng and Nguyễn Đoàn Giáp, both former employees of the Việt Nam Airport Ground Services Company, received eight-year sentences for the same offence.

Two other participants in the case, Nguyễn Đình Tú and Lê Thị Hằng Nga, were sentenced to nine and six years in prison, respectively. — VNS