HANOI, July 28: Vietnam said it has seized more than 125 kg (275 lb) of rhino horns hidden in plaster blocks and shipped from United Arab Emirates, the latest large-scale wildlife trafficking case in Southeast Asia.

The rhino horns were discovered earlier this week at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport in cargo that arrived on an Etihad Airways flight, the customs department said in a statement.

Trade in rhino horns, which is believed to have medicinal value, is illegal in Vietnam. The country is also a destination for other illegal wildlife products such as pangolin scales and elephant ivory.

Separately, police in Vietnam earlier this week arrested three men for transporting seven frozen tiger carcasses from Laos to Hanoi, state media reported.

That comes after authorities in Singapore last week said they seized a record haul of 8.8 tonnes of ivory headed to Vietnam that came from nearly 300 African elephants. 

 
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