Life imprisonment for ivory smuggling ringleaders.
Seventeen people have been jailed - including two for life - for running China’s biggest ivory smuggling ring, moving millions of dollars of tusks from West Africa into Mainland China.
A Court in Guangzhou handed long prison terms to 17 people involved in smuggling over 20 tonnes of ivory worth more than 1 billion yuan (HK$1.19 billion).
The illicit haul was brought from Nigeria and other unnamed African countries and shipped to China via Singapore and South Korea. A court document published by the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court described the case as the “biggest ivory smuggling racket” since the founding of the People’s Republic of China 70 years ago.
The two ringleaders - Chen Chengzong and Lin Zhiyong - were jailed for life and stripped of their property. Chen was found guilty of buying, selling and transporting rare animal products. The Court said he had used fake passports to cross the Chinese borders 21 times.
Li Zongsheng, a lawyer who has campaigned for tougher wildlife protection indicated that under China’s criminal law. individuals found guilty of smuggling rare animal products are usually given a five to 10 year prison sentence. In respect of the sentences imposed on the two ringleaders, he commented: -
“The two life sentences given in this case is quite unusual, indicating authorities are coming down hard on illegal ivory traders.”
Fifteen others were given sentences ranging from two to 15 years, reflective of the role they played in the smuggling ring.
The demand for ivory carvings and jewellery among China’s middle class led to a poaching crisis in Africa, and although a 2018 ban on ivory trade has improved the situation, a serious and thriving underbelly still exists. It was estimated by the WWF that more than 20,000 elephants were killed annually for their tusks before the 2018 ban.
The WWF also noted that although the 2018 ban helped reduce the demand for ivory in China, consumers were travelling instead to other countries including Thailand, Laos, Japan and Vietnam - where ivory was still sold openly.
International trade in ivory has been banned since 1989 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (“CITES”).
In China, the resale of ivory bought before the 1989 CITES ban is permitted. China also has a stockpile of ivory bought with CITES approval in 2008, which it releases for sale with certification. Beijing also allows auctions of ivory antiques deemed to have come from legitimate sources.
According to local legislation, a transaction us unlawful if the ivory product was made from ivory acquired after the 1989 global ban, or if shops in Hong Kong are selling ivory without displaying a Licence to Possess. Yet, the volume of ivory products for sale in Hong Kong remains the world’s largest, along with the documented practices of illegal ivory trade.
Despite Hong Kong’s legislation and regulation of the illegal ivory trade, enforcement and relevant sentencing tariffs for the illegal sale of protected wildlife products remain lenient. To date, there is no existing case law precedent on the illegal sale of ivory products in Hong Kong.
As long as ivory is perceived to be a symbol to convey wealth and status, demand will continue and criminal s will eventually outsmart preventative strategies. A total ban may give the black market room for expansion since criminals are driven by profits, and not the need for conservation. Therefore, preventative strategies need to work in parallel with educational campaigns to convey the message the ivory should not be perceived as a status symbol, coupled with the enforcement of existing legislation to deter the sale of ivory products within the city.
Threats from the illegal wildlife trade are also noticeably imminent since a rapid decline in the remaining elephant population is being witnessed.
Main Source: SCMP