Singapore foils attempt to smuggle record 35.7kg of rhino horns from South Africa to Laos

SINGAPORE – An attempt to smuggle 35.7kg of rhinoceros horns from South Africa into Laos through Singapore was uncovered at Changi Airport on Nov 8, in the largest haul of its kind in the Republic to date.

Other than the 20 rhino horns estimated to be worth around $1.13 million, the authorities also discovered within four cargo shipments around 150kg of other animal parts including bones, teeth and claws. 

The horns came from the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), according to the National Parks Board’s (NParks) Centre for Wildlife Forensics. The other animal parts are still being identified, but are likely to have come from carnivores.

The latest seizure comes after a law regulating the wildlife trade in the Republic

The haul was found in cargo shipments labelled as containing furniture fittings. The smuggling attempt was foiled by air cargo handler Sats and NParks, the authorities said in a media briefing on the seizure on Nov 18. 

Sats Cargo Services operations assistant Vengadeswaran Letchumanan had noticed irregularities with the shipment that raised his suspicions during routine screening and acceptance checks.

The 30-year-old, who has been in the role for three years, had found the shipment to be slightly damaged. He also detected a strong odour, which he described as being like decomposing flesh, coming from the package when inspecting the cargo.

NParks and Sats said Mr Vengadeswaran had, upon closer visual examination, found the shipment to be inconsistent with the declared contents, and thought that the cargo should undergo further screening.

He escalated the case to his managers, and one of the pieces of cargo was opened for inspection under the supervision of the duty manager, a Sats security officer and the cargo agent. They found what appeared to be animal parts.

The remaining three pieces of cargo were then subjected to X-ray screening and found to contain similar contents. The authorities said these checks were in accordance with standing procedures for inspecting suspicious cargo. 

“When they opened the box, (it was) very smelly. (I couldn’t) stand near the box. This is the first time I saw something like this,” Mr Vengadeswaran told the media.

The authorities said the horns will be disposed of according to international guidelines to prevent them from re-entering the market. This will disrupt the global supply chain of illegally traded rhinoceros horns.

That means the horns will be incinerated – a standard practice used globally. 

NParks senior director of wildlife trade Anna Wong said DNA analysis is being carried out to identify the number of rhinos involved, as well as to use the data to work with the University of Pretoria in South Africa to trace the origins of the animals.

The university has a database of all the different rhinoceroses in South Africa, she said. 

“There is no trend as to whether there is more smuggling of wildlife parts in air cargo. Wildlife traffickers can use various modes of trafficking – for example, by road, by sea cargo, or even passenger baggage as well,” she noted. 

Dr Wong said rhino horns are believed to have medicinal value, but clarified that they are made of keratin like human hair and nails.

Rhinoceroses are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), and international trade in rhinoceros horns is prohibited globally.

The illegal wildlife trade poses serious risk to animal and public health. Besides driving over-exploitation and habitat destruction, among other things, the trade also evades biosecurity and sanitary controls, which increases the risk of transmitting diseases.

Conservation group International Rhino Foundation said the number of white rhinos in Africa had dropped to 15,752 by the end of 2024, down from 17,464 in 2023. 

“Singapore is a signatory to Cites and is committed to international efforts to curb illegal wildlife trade to ensure the long-term survival of these animals,” said NParks.

The latest rhino horn seizure comes after an earlier incident in October 2022,

worth around $1.2 million was seized from two transit bags bound for Laos at Changi Airport. 

The South African man who was caught was sentenced to two years’ jail, the heaviest sentence meted out to date for a case involving the smuggling of wildlife parts. 

Since then, the penalties imposed on trafficking wildlife parts and products have been increased. 

The Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act was amended in 2022 and the changes came into effect on Nov 1, 2022. 

Under the amended law, the maximum penalties for the trade in species listed in Cites Appendix I without a valid permit include a fine of up to $200,000 for each specimen, up to a maximum of $1 million, and/or up to eight years’ jail. 

Cites Appendix I lists the most endangered wildlife, including rhinos. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

Before the amendment, those found guilty of trading Cites-listed species without a valid permit were liable to a fine of $50,000 per species, up to a maximum of $500,000, and/or up to two years’ jail. 

Singapore adopts a zero-tolerance stance on the illegal trade of endangered wildlife species and their parts and derivatives, said NParks. 

“Our agencies collaborate closely in a multi-pronged, whole-of-government approach. This includes working with our international partners to maintain vigilance in regulating and enforcing against illegal wildlife trade,” it said. 

Mr Kuah Boon Kiam, senior vice-president of Sats Cargo Services, said the trade in illegal wildlife is multinational.

“It goes from country to country, and because of it, a lot of times the main mode of transportation is by air, and this is where training comes in to be able to detect it,” he said.

Part of the training includes handling animals and animal parts, as well as detection of false declarations of cargo.

“Singapore, of course, is a transit hub, so we are always on the lookout for such illegal cargo that is going through our airport,” Mr Kuah added.

The authorities said that the community can play a key role as well by ensuring their purchases do not contain animal parts of endangered species, and are not contributing to the demand for the illegal trade of wildlife.

Members of the public can contact NParks at

if they spot any occurrences of illegal wildlife trade.