A SOUTH African man who was caught with Singapore’s largest-ever seizure of rhinoceros horns – worth more than S$1.2mil (RM4.2mil) – has been sentenced to two years’ jail.
In a statement yesterday, the National Parks Board (NParks) said this is the heaviest sentence meted out to date for a case involving the smuggling of wildlife parts.
Gumede Sthembiso Joel, 33, had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act (ESA) 2006.
He was arrested in 2022 while on transit here on his way to Laos.
Gumede had unlawfully brought 20 horns from Johannesburg to Changi Airport Terminal 1 on Oct 4, 2022.
The prosecution said that 18 of these horns, which weighed nearly 32kg in total, were from 15 poached white rhinoceroses, which are endangered.
The remaining two horns, weighing more than 2.7kg in total, were from a critically endangered black rhinoceros.
Gumede had brought in all the horns without valid export or re-export permits.
The permits should have come from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which regulates wildlife trade, and of which Singapore is a party.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Eric Hu, Ng Shao Yan and Lee Da Zhuan stated in court documents: “According to Cites, the total number of white rhinoceroses stands at an estimated figure of 18,067, while there are only less than 5,000 black rhinoceroses out in the wild today.”
They said 15 samples of the horns seized were traced to 11 female rhinoceroses.
The prosecutors also said that illegal trade in such horns threatens the existence of the rhinoceroses and fosters a thriving black-market economy.
Investigations revealed another South African man, Jaycee Israel Marvatona, had bought the horns from illegal poachers in South Africa and arranged to sell them to one “Jimmy” for delivery in Laos.
The DPPs said rhinoceros horns carry a high trade value and are treasured for their use in Chinese medicine and ornamentals.
In Vietnam, it is believed that the horns can “cure cancer” and are highly sought after by those who are more affluent. The horns are also often presented as gifts to the elite.
According to court documents, Gumede had known Marvatona for two or three years.
Marvatona would send images and videos of rhinoceros horns to Gumede via WhatsApp relating to the sale of such items.
Some time in or before September 2022, Marvatona asked Gumede to transport some horns from South Africa to Laos, through Singapore.
He also told Gumede that he would make his trip “worthwhile”, providing return tickets and an undisclosed amount of cash. — The Straits Times/ANN
