A rhino with a severed horn.
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James Matthew Dobson / CATE / SIPA
South African Customs have announced the seizure of rhino horns worth an estimated $ 3.5 million.
These 18 pieces of horn were discovered during a routine inspection at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
Packaged in “traditional clothing”, the shipment was declared to contain printer cartridges destined for Malaysia.
The shipment was scanned with X-rays and "the image analysis reflected objects resembling the shape of rhino horns," customs said Thursday in a statement.
No arrests were made because the package was sent by courier.
280 kg since July 2020
This is the fourth seizure made at the same airport since July 2020. In total, nearly 280 kg of rhino horns were seized.
The set is estimated at around $ 15.6 million.
South Africa, home to nearly 80% of the planet's rhino population, has seen the number of specimens killed decline steadily for the sixth year in a row.
But poachers, responding to the high demand for rhino horns in Asia, continue their raids and attacks.
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