Authorities in Vietnam’s Vinh Long seize over 7 tonnes of wildlife products illegally transported from Indonesia

At around 10:00 am on Friday, a task force from the border guard discovered two wooden fishing boats entering the Eo Loi estuary area in Thanh Phong Commune, Vinh Long Province.

The boats were being operated by Pham Van Hoan, a 56-year-old resident of Chat Binh Commune in Ninh Binh Province, northern Vietnam, and Syamsadi, a 52-year-old citizen of Indonesia.

Upon inspection, neither individual was able to present documentation for the boats.

The Vinh Long Border Guard Command found over seven tonnes of goods on board, including more than 4.2 tonnes of suspected pangolin scales, 150 python skins, 40 kilograms of animal bile, over one tonne of dried snail meat, nearly 1.6 tonnes of fish skin, 17.5 kilograms of conch horns, 36 kilograms of animal bones, 100 kilograms of unidentified animal hides, 2.3 kilograms of fish gills, 39 bird beaks, 210 animal teeth, and 30 bottles labeled as honey.

The boat operators failed to present any invoices or documents related to the cargo.

Preliminary statements indicated that the goods were purchased in Indonesia and brought to Vietnam for resale for profit.

According to the Vinh Long Border Guard, many of the seized items, including scales, skins, and bones, belong to species protected under Vietnamese law, which strictly prohibits hunting and trade of wildlife.

The case has been handed over to the Vinh Long economic police and the local forest protection unit for investigation and legal action.