New York Man Faces Five Years for Smuggling Rhinoceros Horns
A New York antiques dealer pleaded guilty on Aug. 7 to conspiracy to smuggle artifacts made from rhinoceros horns and ivory in violation of wildlife trafficking laws, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Qiang Wang, aka Jeffrey Wang, told the Southern New York District Court that he conspired with others to export libation cups carved from rhinoceros horns to Hong Kong and China, without declaring them to CBP or the Fish and Wildlife Service. He faces a maximum of five years in prison.
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According to the U.S. attorney’s office, between 2011 and 2013, Wang conspired with at least two others to smuggle objects containing rhinoceros horn and elephant ivory out of the U.S., despite knowing it was illegal to export such items without required permits. Because of their dwindling population, all rhinoceros and elephant species are protected under international trade agreements, like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Wang falsified customs declarations evade detection, and didn’t declare the shipments to FWS or CBP, the U.S. attorney said. Wang was arrested as part of “Operation Crash,” a joint operation between FWS and other federal and local law enforcement agencies meant to counter rhinoceros poaching and trafficking. A “crash” is the term for a herd of rhinoceros, the U.S, attorney’s office said.