Hai Phong Customs prosecutes smuggling case of red sandalwood

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Red sandalwood in the infringing shipment.

The Customs Enforcement Team detected a shipment transported on the KMTC TOKYO container ship from NHAVA SHEVA Port (India) and transshipped across Hong Kong Port to Dinh Vu Port (Hai Phong) on May 26.

The team also discovered suspicious signs of transporting goods in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The goods were declared as hand tools, and the consignee stated in the bill of lading has an address in Hai Phong.

On June 4, the team coordinated with Dinh Vu Seaport Customs Branch and Environmental Police Division to inspect the shipment and detected 297 logs of red sandalwood, with a total weight of 8,762 kg (about 7.44m3).

The infringing goods were loaded in the end of the container and hidden by 26 boxes containing 70kg of iron.

The red sandalwood is listed as an endangered plant species in Appendix II of the CITES, and must be issued with an import or export permit by CITES management authorities.

On July 30, Director of Hai Phong Customs Department issued a decision to prosecute the criminal case and transferred all documents and the wood to Hai Phong Investigation Police Department for handling.