Customs officers swapped billion-dollar ivory shipment with wood and plastic

Hanoi Customs Department's warehouse staff and accomplices swapped fake goods, "gutted" real ivory tusks and sold them for nearly 3 billion VND.

On September 8, Hanoi Police prosecuted and detained Pham Minh Hoang (35 years old) and Tran Trong Cuong (41 years old) to investigate the act of embezzlement of property. In connection with the case, Hoang Van Dien (25 years old) was prosecuted for the crime of storing and trading in prohibited goods.

Fake rhino horns made of wood and cement were swapped by Hoang. Photo: Capital Security.

In April, Hoang (a warehouse manager of contraband goods in the Department of Smuggling and Handling of Violations - Hanoi Customs Department) had the idea of ​​stealing ivory tusks to sell for money. Hoang contacted Cuong to take ivory from the warehouse and buy fake goods made of plastic, wood, and cement to replace them.

Cuong also found a buyer and contacted Dien, agreeing to sell 7-8 million VND/kg of ivory. When the warehouse was empty, Hoang broke the seal, used the warehouse key to open the door to get the ivory, hid it in his backpack, then brought it out and handed it to Cuong.

With each real ivory product, Cuong would swap it for fake ones in the form of pieces, plastic beads... and give them to Hoang to put back in the evidence warehouse.

According to the investigation, Hoang stole nearly 240kg of ivory and more than 6kg of rhino horn 8 times, sold them to Dien, illegally profiting a total of nearly 3 billion VND, of which Cuong received 260 million VND for brokerage.

The ivory, Dien said, was sold to a Chinese person.

According to VNE