JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Police arrested six suspects for a fraudulent scheme involving 964 rhino horns destined for illegal markets in Southeast Asia, said the South African government on Tuesday.
According to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), South Africa's police had been investigating the case for seven years before arresting the six, whose ages range between 49 and 84.
The suspects, including five men and one woman, appeared before the court in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital, on Tuesday, facing the charges of fraud, theft, and contravention of the environmental protection law, with additional charges of racketeering and money laundering under consideration.
This investigation is "a powerful demonstration of South Africa's resolve to protect its natural heritage," said DFFE Minister Dion George, adding that the illegal trade in rhino horns destroys biodiversity and undermines the foundations of environmental governance.
He said investigations show that the suspects defrauded the DFFE by securing permits under false pretences to buy and sell rhino horns domestically, but channeled them into illegal international markets.
Domestic trade in rhino horns is permitted with valid permits issued by the South African government. However, international commercial trade is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
"Let there be no doubt: South Africa will bring the full force of its laws against those who plunder our wildlife. This arrest proves that syndicates cannot escape justice, no matter how complex their schemes," said George.
There are some sophisticated transnational syndicates of rhino traders who evade the law using their networks. Rhino horns have a ready market in various parts of the world for jewelry and medicinal purposes. ■
