Rhino horn syndicate: Hawks not talking

2011-07-22 10:11

Johannesburg - The Hawks have declined to comment on a report in Beeld newspaper on Friday of an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate which uses Thai prostitutes to pose as rhino hunters before selling the trophies "legally".

"Beeld did contact the Hawks about it but we indicated that we wouldn't comment. There's an ongoing investigation and we won't comment further on it," Hawks spokesperson Colonel McIntosh Polela told Sapa.

The Afrikaans daily named a Free State lion breeder as one the main players, saying he had earned about R16m in a 13-week period this year, after delivering 50 sets of rhino horns to a front company in Laos.

The syndicate was allegedly exploiting legislation which allows "trophy hunting" of rhinos, to obtain vast quantities of horn for the lucrative black markets of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

The front company, Xaysavang Trading Export Import, would place an order for rhino horns in South Africa.

Prostitutes paid to pose with horns

The company allegedly ordered the rhino horns from the Free State lion breeder, who would then locate the rhinos that were to be hunted.

The lion breeder would be given the passports of Thai prostitutes and strippers, and apply for permits for them to hunt rhino. The women were trafficked from their country to South Africa.

The Thai prostitutes would be taken to a farm where they would pose for a picture with an already dead rhino. The women would be paid R5 000 per picture.

Beeld published two pictures of two different Thai women posing with rifles next to dead rhinos.

Hunting regulations allow one rhino hunt per hunter in a year. Only rhino trophies are allowed to be exported.

After the "hunt", the rhino horns would be removed, sent to a taxidermist and dried out.

The trophies would then be "sold" to the front company for R65 000/kg.

From there, the front company would sell the rhino horn for $35 000/kg on the black market in Asia.

- SAPA