China’s Wildlife Enforcement News Digest (January 2020) Domestic Ningbo Customs Seized Endangered Species officers unpacked the luggage and found Coral in Crew Luggage for the First Time that the man hid suspected ivory products in 2020-1-06, Ningbo, Zhejiang - Recently, the interlayer of the luggage case by Meishan Customs officer of Ningbo Customs wrapping them with tin foil in an attempt to intercepted 7 coral pieces and 2 fishbone smuggle them into Chengdu. A total of 17 pieces, with net weights of 12.5kg and 1.1kg suspected ivory products were seized at the respectively, during routine inspection of the scene, with a gross weight of about 0.469 kg. luggage of a shift crew member of an imported On-site customs officers withheld the seized cargo ship. According to the animal quarantine suspected ivory products according to law laboratory of Ningbo customs technology and sent them to professional institutions center, all the corals intercepted were stony for identification before disposal. Read more corals, which was the first time that they were found at Ningbo port in the inspection channel of crew luggage. Coral is an endangered species restricted from entry in Appendix II of Dongxing Customs of Nanning Customs the Convention on International Trade in Seized Large Quantity of Ivory Products Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 2020-1-07, Nanning, Guangxi- On January 7, Read more Dongxing Customs, which belongs to Nanning Customs, intercepted a passenger who was Chengdu Customs Continued to Seize hiding a large number of ivory products. A total Suspected Ivory Products of 70 pieces of ivory products with a total weight of 1829.06g were found in his waist, abdomen and legs. On the morning of that day, this foreign male passenger wearing a loose coat entered the country from Dongxing Port and walked casually through the customs inspection area among the incoming passengers. However, the sharp inspector had already determined that he was suspected of personal entrapment through appearance and gait observation, and quickly stopped him and 2020-1-07, Chengdu, Sichuan -- On January 3, asked the man to undergo further examination. 2020, a passenger from Ethiopia entered Sure enough, millimeter wave scanning Chengdu, customs officers found that the showed that the man had a large number of passenger's luggage was very suspicious suspicious objects hidden in various parts of through early machine inspection. Customs his body. After a joint search by customs 1

officers and anti-smuggling personnel on the Products scene, 70 pieces of ivory products bound with transparent adhesive tape were found in the waist, abdomen, legs and lower legs of the man. This case is the first smuggling case of endangered species discovered by Dongxing Customs in 2020. The number of ivory products involved is the highest in a single seizure of ivory products by Dongxing Customs. At present, this batch of ivory products has 2020-1-13, Tianjin- Recently, customs officers been confiscated by the customs according to of Tianjin Post Office, affiliated to Tianjin law, and the parties involved in smuggling Customs, found that some items showed endangered species have been taken criminal abnormal images during a machine inspection compulsory measures by the anti-smuggling of a mail sent from Japan. After the inspection, department. Read more one of the axle shafts was made of ivory, weighing about 532 grams. This is the third Wenjindu Customs Seized 7.5kg Wet ivory product recently seized by Tianjin thymelaeaceae of Endangered Plant Customs in the mail channel. At present, the Products case has been handed over to relevant 2020-1-09, Wenjindu, Guangdong – departments for further processing. Read Recently, Wenjindu Customs of Shenzhen more Customs seized 7.5kg of suspected agarwood in luggage carried by inbound passengers. On the same day, customs officers found that • Lanzhou Customs Seized Tridacna Products in addition to a small amount of clothes, they also carried a large amount of wood blocks while carrying X-ray machines on the backpacks of two incoming passengers. After inspection, the backpacks of the two passengers were respectively filled with 4.5kg and 3kg of wooden products that had not been declared to the customs. The wooden pieces had wet surfaces, different shapes and unique fragrance. Through comparing the appearance and material of wood blocks, it 2020-1-14, Lanzhou, Gansu - Recently, was preliminarily identified as customs officers at Zhongchuan Airport Thymelaeaceae. At present, the case has been found an abnormal image of a Chinese transferred to the customs anti-smuggling passenger's luggage passing through the department. Read more airport while conducting on-site inspection of the luggage from Bangkok. After manual Tianjin Customs Seizes 532 grams of Ivory inspection, five strings of Tridacnidae spp 2

with a net weight of 215.5g were found, and Customs Seized Ivory Products at Qingdao the on-site customs officers have further Liuting Airport handled them according to relevant regulations. Read more

• Customs Captured Endangered Whale Narwhal Products for the First Time in Mail Channels

2020-1-15, Qingdao, Shandong - On January 15, Qingdao Liuting Airport Customs seized six ivory products, weighing about 158 grams, which were embedded in calligraphy and painting scrolls and were not declared by a passenger during the supervision of the 2020-1-14, Guangzhou, Guangdong - A few incoming flights from to Qingdao, Japan. days ago, customs officers of Guangzhou Post This is also the first time this year that Qingdao Office under Guangzhou Customs discovered Liuting Airport Customs has seized ivory an abnormality in the machine-readable image products. On the same day, customs officers of a parcel sent from Japan to Guangzhou found an abnormal image of a passenger's while supervising incoming mail. "The name of luggage when inspecting the luggage of the the parcel declared is' handle', which is rather incoming passenger. They intercepted the vague. The image of the parcel passing through passenger and opened the luggage. They also the machine shows two cylindrical articles found scrolls of calligraphy and painting in the with irregular shapes." Li Yong, deputy chief of passenger's luggage. Both sides of the scrolls the Guangzhou Post Office Customs Postal were made of ivory ornaments. Ivory is a Goods Supervision Section, said. Later, the on- species listed in Appendix I of the Convention site customs officers unpacked the parcel and on International Trade in Endangered Species found that the parcel contained two pieces of of Wild Fauna and Flora. Apart from holding a suspected animal bone products. certificate allowing import and export, any Subsequently, feedback from the South trade or carrying or mailing ivory and other Wildlife Species Identification Center endangered species and their products into or confirmed that the animal bone products out of the country is illegal and will be seized by the customs were narwhal horn- investigated for legal responsibility. At present, shaped long teeth with a net weight of 1287g. the customs has withheld ivory products At present, the case has been transferred to according to law, pending further processing. relevant departments for further processing. Read more Read more Illegal sale of ivory, Tibetan antelope horn, 3

hawksbill and other products, 2 main Customs at Qingdao Liuting Airport Seized criminals sentenced more than 5 years Ivory Products Hiding in Coffee 2020-1-17, Nantong, Jiangsu - Jiangsu Rugao Municipal People's Court's Yangtze River Basin Environmental Resources Second Court has made a public judgment of first instance on the first case of illegal acquisition and sale of precious and endangered wildlife products since the establishment of the court. 2 main criminals were sentenced 5 years 3 months, and 5 years 6 months, with fined 20,000 RMB. Ma and Shen, knowing that ivory and Tibetan 2020-1-18, Qingdao, Shandong –On January antelope horns are precious and endangered 18, customs officers at Qingdao liuting airport wildlife products, still illegally purchased ivory found an abnormal image of a passenger's raw materials, finished ivory carvings, Tibetan luggage during the supervision of the incoming antelope horns and other products from Lin flights from to Qingdao. after and Wang, and then sold them to Ni and Li. unpacking and checking, they found 11 Rugao Court found that Ma and Shen suspected ivory products with a total weight of purchased and sold rare and endangered 347 grams hidden in coffee cans. At present, wildlife products worth 186,600 yuan between Liuting Airport Customs has withheld ivory 2013 and 2015. Defendant Wang has illegally products for further processing. Read more purchased and sold ivory and hawksbill products for many times since 2014, with a Qingdao Post Office Customs Seized 58 value of 31,500 yuan. The value of ivory Endangered Plants Illegally Sent into China products illegally purchased and sold by defendant Lin was 41,300 yuan, while the value of ivory products illegally purchased by defendants Ni and Li were 23,800 yuan and 3,937 yuan respectively. Defendants Ma and Shen were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of five years and three months and five years and six months, with a fine of 20,000 yuan. Defendants Lin, Wang, Ni and Li were sentenced to criminal detention for four 2020-1-19, Qingdao, Shandong–Recently, months to two years with suspended the Qingdao Post Office Customs has seized a sentences and fines ranging from 3,000 yuan total of 58 plant seedlings in a series of to 8,000 yuan. In addition, relevant ivory, inbound packages, all of which were identified Tibetan antelope horn and hawksbill products as endangered wild plant species. When were confiscated and turned over to the state customs inspectors passed the machine treasury. Read more inspection on the spot, 7 mail machine inspection images were found to be suspicious

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in succession and were initially judged as plant seedlings. After opening and checking, customs officers found that all the mails were paper-wrapped plant seedlings, and a total of 58 plants were counted on the spot. All the recipients were the same person from a certain place in Weifang. After identification, the above plant seedlings respectively include 50 strains of Paeonia of Cactaceae, 2 strains of Callicarpa, 3 strains of Crown, 2 strains of Cornu Cervi and 1 strain of Chrysanthemum, all of which belong to the plant species listed in the appendix of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. At present, the customs has intercepted and quarantined this batch of plant seedlings according to law, and the case is being further handled. Read more

The post-90s directed others to smuggle rhinoceros’ horn from South Africa 2020-1-31, Shenzhen, Guangdong - Recently, according to a criminal ruling of the second instance issued by the Judicial Documents Network, the defendants Chunhui allowed Lin Tao and Zhang Jun to smuggle rhinoceros horns into China with a reward of 10,000 yuan each. The latter two were seized by customs officers when they entered China from Shenzhen Bay Port on November 5, 2018. After identification, the rhinoceros horn involved totaled 4.6kg, worth 1.15 million yuan. According to the judgment of the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court of first instance, Zhang Chunhui, Lin Tao and Zhang Jun were convicted of smuggling precious animal products. Zhang Chunhui was sentenced to 10 years while Lin Tao and Zhang Jun were sentenced to 3 years. Read more

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International Rhino horn, ivory seized; three arrested Alleged ivory traders bust with elephant from north Bengal tusks worth R300, 000 in Point

2020-1-18, India - A rhino horn and a 2020-1-20, South Africa - The suspects were portion of an elephant tusk were seized by contacted by police and an arrangement was forest officials and three persons including made to meet outside a busy hotel in Point. a resident of Bhutan, were arrested in this A police officer from Point SAPS proceeded connection from north Bengal on Friday. to the said location and requested to see the “ We received a tip off that a gang of product. Without hesitation, the suspects led poachers were coming to Siliguri in north the undercover police officer to their vehicle. Bengal from Bhutan to sell some parts of wild The men were stunned and they knew it was animals. We managed to intercept two all over for them when they were confronted vehicles, while another vehicle managed to by police officers from the Point Rapid flee. We seized a rhino horn and a portion of Response Team together with the an elephant tusk. Three persons have been Endangered Species Unit. Their vehicle was arrested,” said Sanjay Dutta, head of the searched and four elephant tusks were special task force (STF) in north Bengal. The seized. The total weight of the tusks was 16, horn and the tusk were hidden inside two 88kg, with an estimated value of R300, 000. school bags in the vehicles. While two of the The two men, aged 35 and 56, were arrested arrested persons are residents of north for possession and dealing in ivory. They are Bengal, one hails from Bhutan. A senior expected to appear in the Durban forest official said that trading parts of rhino Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Read and elephants could earn a jail term not less more than three years which may extend up to seven years. Read more

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