Hanoi - Customs police in Vietnam have seized more than seven tons of smuggled pangolins en route from Indonesia to China, an official said Monday. The slaughtered animals were found Friday in a container at the port of Haiphong, 100 kilometers east of Hanoi, according to city customs official Nguyen Sy Trang.
"The container was registered as fresh fish and was on its way from Indonesia to China, transiting in Haiphong," Trang said.
Trang said customs officials found 2,460 slaughtered pangolins and nearly 900 kilograms of pangolin scales in the container.
"This is the largest pangolin smuggling case that Vietnam has ever detected," Trang said. "I think they were intended for restaurants in China."
The scaly anteaters are a protected species in Vietnam, and it is illegal to transport or trade them.
Animal smuggling is widespread in Vietnam, where eating wild game, such as snakes, bears and even tigers, is an elite hobby.
In January, customs officials at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport seized 1.5 tons of live snakes in the cargo hold of a commercial flight from Bangkok. The snakes, registered as fish, were also destined for China.
Last year, Vietnam seized more than 66 tons of smuggled wild animals, according to the Ministry of Agriculture's Forest Protection Department.
