The arduous task of preventing and combating the illegal trade and transportation of wild animals.

(Baonghean) - In recent times, functional forces have investigated and dismantled many cases of illegal wildlife trafficking and transportation. However, with enormous profits, perpetrators use sophisticated methods in the illegal trade and transportation of wildlife, making prevention and control efforts by functional agencies very difficult…

At 4 PM on December 22nd, at Km 385 on National Highway 1A, in Quynh Thien Ward, Hoang Mai Town, officers from Team 2 of the Environmental Crime Prevention Police Department (Provincial Police) spotted a truck with license plate 37S-5297 traveling from Nghe An to Thanh Hoa with suspicious behavior. The task force immediately coordinated with the Traffic Control and Inspection force of the Dien Chau Traffic Police Station to inspect the truck, driven by Nguyen Van Lap (born 1980), residing in Quynh Hong Commune, Quynh Luu District.

Upon inspection, the police discovered a frozen tiger carcass, approximately 1.5 meters long and weighing 120 kg, in the vehicle. According to Major Tran Van Hung, Team Leader of Team 2 of the Environmental Crime Prevention Police Department (Provincial Police), it took the force nearly three months to successfully crack the case, from verifying the information to monitoring the suspect's movements. According to Lap's initial statement to the investigating agency, he was hired to transport the tiger carcass for an unknown man for 8 million VND, and was apprehended while en route to the northern provinces for sale.

The suspect Nguyen Van Lap (second from the right) and the seized evidence were apprehended on December 22nd.

Previously, on October 10th, on the Vinh bypass road in Hung Loi commune, Hung Nguyen district, the Vinh Forest Protection Department, in coordination with the Environmental Crime Prevention Police Department (Provincial Police), discovered and seized a car with license plate 15B-01150 driven by Nang Duc Nguyen (born in 1978), residing in Hamlet 5, Cao Minh commune, Vinh Bao district, Hai Phong city, transporting 30kg of rat snakes and 80kg of monitor lizards without legal documents. On June 24th, in Loc village, Thong Thu commune (Que Phong district), a task force from the Environmental Crime Prevention Police Department (Provincial Police), in coordination with the Thong Thu Border Guard Post, discovered and apprehended Quang Van Anh (born in 1974, residing in Muong Phu village, Thong Thu commune, Que Phong district) while he was transporting a dead bear weighing 85kg…

According to statistics, since the beginning of the year, functional forces in the province have detected and arrested 11 cases related to the illegal trade and transportation of wild animals. Colonel Tran Huu Hong, Head of the Environmental Police Department (Provincial Police), said: Although functional forces have implemented many measures to curb the activities of this type of crime, with the enormous profits, the perpetrators are increasingly using sophisticated methods, making prevention and control efforts by functional agencies more difficult. If transporting small quantities, they often pack them in bags and briefcases and transport them using public transport.

If the goods are rare and in large quantities, criminals often divide the transportation into multiple stages using various means. At the collection points, the perpetrators use motorcycles to transport the goods, then send someone ahead to scout the route. If there is no suspicion, the owner of the goods will use a mobile phone to direct the motorcycles carrying the goods to a secluded location (a winding road, a deserted road in the middle of a field, etc.) and frequently change the collection point. Along the routes, the trucks carrying the goods have "spy" scouts, and along the way, the license plates of the trucks are constantly changed, including blue license plates of government agencies, military and police vehicles, and foreign license plates.

In some cases, the perpetrators even use fake police or military uniforms to deceive authorities. The vehicles used to transport wildlife are usually high-quality, modified cars to increase speed. For passenger cars with Lao license plates, often 54-seater vehicles, the perpetrators create secret compartments hidden behind the fuel tank or on the roof, using baby powder to mask the smell, or even sealing them shut. Therefore, it is very difficult to detect during inspections. During transportation, the perpetrators often act recklessly and aggressively, driving at high speeds. If confronted by law enforcement, they stop the vehicle but lock the doors, refuse to get out, and are uncooperative. If given the opportunity, they will try to escape, possibly driving straight into obstacles or the pursuing officers.

As a transit point for wildlife from southern provinces and Laos to Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Lang Son, and onward to China for consumption, the illegal import of wildlife from Laos into Nghe An through border gates and unofficial routes remains a persistent problem. The practice of keeping wildlife in captivity in the area is also complex. Furthermore, the current legal framework for managing and penalizing violations of wildlife protection is inconsistent, lenient, and lacks deterrent effect, leading to an increasingly serious wildlife trafficking situation.

To enhance the effectiveness of combating wildlife trafficking, in addition to promptly supplementing and comprehensively improving the legal system for combating wildlife-related crimes, strengthening propaganda and education to raise community awareness and responsibility, and promoting the role of social organizations in protecting rare and endangered wildlife species, functional forces need to strengthen coordination in detecting, arresting, and strictly and lawfully prosecuting violations of State regulations on hunting, trading, transporting, breeding, slaughtering, trading, and illegally storing wildlife; and promoting international cooperation in combating and handling crimes of illegal wildlife trafficking involving foreign elements.

Quang An