THE Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa, has welcomed the four-year sentence handed down to a Chinese national accused of rhino horn smuggling
Shuangshuang Xue (24) was sentenced in the Kempton Park Regional Court last Thursday after pleading guilty to all charges.
Xue was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport en route to Hong Kong after a suitcase checked in as baggage was intercepted by security screening personnel at the luggage transfer area.
The suitcase contained 14 pieces of rhino horn with a weight of approximately 16kg.
Xue was arrested as there were no permits accompanying the suitcase and its contents.
The rhino horn was confiscated and handed in at the SA Police’s forensic science laboratory to determine the origin of the horn or possible linkages with other investigations.
Genetic determined that the 14 pieces were from five different animals White Rhinos, of which were four males and one female.
None of the 14 pieces could be linked to any poaching incidents or registered stockpiles.
The National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) of 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004), requires that the original documentation from the country of origin must accompany a consignment.
If no such original documentation is offered, an import permit issued in terms of NEMBA and in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), is required.
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