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Vietnamese man arrested with rhino horns at JKIA

Airport head of CID Judy Jebet said the man was looking suspicious when he landed at JKIA at 11pm, a move that prompted detectives to carry out a thorough search on him/FILE

Airport head of CID Judy Jebet said the man was looking suspicious when he landed at JKIA at 11pm, a move that prompted detectives to carry out a thorough search on him/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 16 – Police on Friday arrested a Vietnamese national at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with rhino horns and lion teeth valued at Sh12 million.

The 47 year-old man was in transit to Hanoi from Maputo in Mozambique when detectives found the animal products in his luggage.

He was carrying seven pieces of rhino horns, rhino tails and lion teeth weighing 12 kilograms.

Airport head of CID Judy Jebet said the man was looking suspicious when he landed at JKIA at 11pm, a move that prompted detectives to carry out a thorough search on him.

“When the luggage was searched, the products were found wrapped in nylon papers,” she said.

He will be charged in court on Monday.

Screening has been heightened at JKIA to ensure illegal products are detected.

On September 17, 2013 a 29 year-old Vietnamese national was arrested while trying to smuggle five rhino horns out of the country.

The man was in transit to Hong Kong via Doha from Maputo, Mozambique.

On August, 2013 a Chinese national was sentenced to serve 31 months in jail after being convicted over charges relating to smuggling ivory from the country.

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In 2013, 39 foreigners, including nine Vietnamese and 19 Chinese nationals, were arrested smuggling illegal wildlife products out of the country this year.

A report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime indicates that the ports of Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam are major transit points for ivory within the Eastern African region.

The report also indicated JKIA as a route used by poachers heading to other parts of the world.

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