A man who was promised the 7,500 Danish kroner to smuggle 11 horns from white rhinos from Johannesburg, south Africa to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, is instead smoked 17 months in prison. It was settled by the court in Singapore on Wednesday.
He was snatched in the airport Changi. The man, who tried to get on a plane to Vietnam, called Thurman Shiraazudin Aiden Matthews. He was arrested, while he stayed in the transitarealet in the airport’s terminal 2, where he had the horns with him. They were immediately seized.
The 45-year-old south african pleaded guilty in the smuggling.
The 11 pieces of horn has claimed at least five rhinos life, told a prosecutor the judge. Their value was not defined in court documents.
The female prosecutor could add that ‘the man was not able to show any papers, that allowed him to bring the 11 pieces of rhinoceros with themselves’.
the Judge said that the white rhinoceros had the status of ‘near threatened’. Their black colleagues were critically endangered.
the Man had met a chinaman last year in south Africa and was later introduced to two chinese women.
He had three times traveled to Vietnam through Singapore. Every time without bringing anything illegal.
But last year, the 30. december, he was again contacted by one of the women. He was told that he had to fly from Johannesburg, the 4. January and arrive to Ho Chi Minh City the day after.
It was the plan that a person should take care of the two suitcases with the horns, before they were x-rayed upon arrival at the airport in Ho Chi Minh.
But when Matthews arrived to Singapore’s airport the 5. January, clipped an employee who stands for the screening of the luggage, over what he thought was some horn.
Shortly after came the 11 pieces of horn from the white rhino to the sight.
the Penalty for smuggling yesterday in Singapore, up to two years.
