Johannesburg - The Wildlife Justice Commission has heralded the conviction of four for the trafficking of pangolin scales and ivory as a “ground-breaking” move that has laid bare the modus operandi of the criminal networks trafficking wildlife commodities.
The commission made the announcement following the conclusion of the trial against three Vietnamese and one Guinean national who were arrested by the Nigeria Customs Service in May 2022 for trafficking 7.1 tonnes of pangolin scales and 850 kilograms of ivory.
Phan Viet Chi, Phan Hong Quan, Duong Van Thang and Mory Berrette were high-ranking members of a major organised crime group involved in the trafficking of ivory and pangolin scales from Nigeria and rhino horn and lion bones from Mozambique and South Africa to Vietnam.
Following their arrest, the group was charged with illegal possession, dealing in, assembling, storing, smuggling, and trading in pangolin scales and elephant ivory.
The trial started in November 2022 and concluded this week after the four accused applied to change their pleas from not guilty to guilty via a plea bargain arrangement.
On July 19, the prosecution filed the terms of the plea bargain agreement, and the defendants pleaded guilty to each of the four counts.
Following the conviction and sentence, Olivia Swaak-Goldman, the Executive Director of the Commission, said: “The judge’s decision recognises wildlife crime as serious organised crime and sends an important signal to wildlife traffickers that this trade will no longer be considered a ‘low-risk, high-reward’ venture for criminals out to make a profit. That said, to prompt a stronger deterrent effect for wildlife crimes, a higher sentence without the option of evading imprisonment through fine payments would have been more appropriate considering the seriousness of such crimes and the key role of the offenders.“
Steve Carmody, Director of Programmes at the Wildlife Justice Commission, said: “The sentence imposed on the four accused may not be appropriate considering the crimes committed; however, from an investigation point of view, the results have been ground-breaking. This investigation has laid bare the modus operandi of the criminal networks trafficking wildlife commodities from Nigeria and Mozambique to Vietnam, including how they converge with more traditional crimes and how they launder their money.”
Carmody said that thanks to the arrest of the group, law enforcement stakeholders involved in fighting against organised environmental crimes now had a greater understanding of Vietnamese trafficking networks operating in Africa than they ever had before.
“This understanding can be used to continue efforts to disrupt and dismantle the networks. We have also seen a massive reduction in the trafficking of pangolins, once the world’s most trafficked mammal. There has not been a reported seizure of pangolin scales in Asia originating from Africa in over 550 days. There is no clearer example of the importance of disrupting organised crime networks,” he said.
The judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Lagos sentenced the accused to six years of imprisonment each or payment of fines in lieu of imprisonment.
The Star