Associated Press is reporting that officials in the Czech Republic have broken up an international gang linked to smuggling horns of endangered rhinoceroses from Africa to Asia. Police investigator Daniel Zivocky says a total of 16 people have been detained and 24 horns worth some $5 million were seized. Customs official Ales Hruby says the gang hired Czech nationals who went to South Africa posing as trophy hunters. There rhinos were shot in so-called "pseudo-hunts". On their return to the Czech Republic, the hunters handed over to the rhino horn trophies to the gang, which planned to smuggle them to Asia. It is believed that the gang has links to Vietnam. For more on pseudo-hunts see Chapter 6 of Killing for Profit. The involvement of Czech nationals is dealt with on pages 125 and 126.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 13:26:56 +0000
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