Joint operation by Singapore and South Africa leads to seizure of 55kg of rhino horns in Johannesburg
The operation was launched after Singapore intercepted a "suspicious shipment" that bore similarities to an earlier rhinoceros horn seizure on Nov 8.
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SINGAPORE: A shipment containing 55.4kg of rhinoceros horns has been seized in Johannesburg after a joint operation between Singapore and South African authorities, the National Parks Board (NParks) said on Tuesday (Dec 30).
Authorities also uncovered 26.2kg of lion and tiger bones, skulls and claws. Two Nigerian men were arrested and charged in South Africa for breaching the country’s Biodiversity Act, which prohibits restricted activities involving listed threatened or protected species.
The operation was triggered after a "suspicious shipment" from South Africa was flagged at Singapore Changi Airport on Nov 11.
The shipment bore similarities to an earlier seizure on Nov 8 in Singapore that contained 35.7kg of rhinoceros horns and 150kg of other animal parts that had been due for Laos.
After examining the shipment on Nov 11, NParks worked with South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) for a "controlled return" to the country to conduct further investigations.
Authorities then traced the shipment to a storage facility in Johannesburg, where four boxes containing the rhinoceros horns and lion and tiger bones were found.
"The recovered horns and animal parts are believed to be part of a broader transnational trafficking network responsible for smuggling wildlife products from South Africa to other foreign markets," said NParks on Tuesday.
"The decision by NParks to initiate and facilitate a controlled return of the shipment to South Africa enabled the DPCI to conduct investigations at the source country with the potential to identify and dismantle the broader criminal network beyond intercepting a single shipment in another country."
NParks said the return of the suspicious shipment required "extenisive multinational cooperation" to ensure that it could be tracked and monitored.
"This approach demonstrates the importance of international cooperation in combating transnational wildlife crime, where targeting the criminal networks at their source can yield more significant long-term results than isolated seizures," said NParks.
NParks' senior director of wildlife trade, Dr Anna Wong, said during a media briefing that the Nov 11 shipment was not bound for Singapore as a final destination.
She said it could not confirm if any arrests were made in Singapore in relation to that shipment or if the horns seized in Johannesburg were destined for Singapore, as investigations are ongoing.
The Singapore Police Force's Commercial Affairs Department is also looking into possible money laundering offences.
UPDATES ON LARGEST RHINO HORN HAUL
In an update on Tuesday, NParks also said that investigations into the Nov 8 case are ongoing. It is Singapore's largest rhinoceros horn seizure to date, surpassing the previous record of 34.7kg in October 2022.
Molecular analysis by NParks’ Centre for Wildlife Forensics confirmed that the 150kg of animal parts were from lions and tigers.
The centre is working with South Africa's University of Pretoria to determine the provenance of the rhinoceroses from which the horns were taken.
The agency has shared intelligence with international partners, including Interpol, the World Customs Organization and authorities from Laos, to conduct parallel investigations.
"NParks will continue to cooperate closely with both domestic and international partners to determine if the seizure in Singapore on Nov 8 is linked to the recent seizure in South Africa," said NParks.
Asked if the recent seizures involving Singapore were a cause for concern, Dr Wong said that Singapore is a "transit hub", along with other ports in the region.
"We do have very strong enforcement measures to combat illegal wildlife trade, and we work as a whole-of-government and multiprong approach, which is why we are able to do these detections and seizures," she added.
RAIDS IN SINGAPORE
Singapore is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global agreement to ensure that international trade does not threaten wildlife survival.
Earlier this month, Interpol reported that more than 30,000 live animals were seized across 134 countries, including Singapore, as part of Operation Thunder 2025 – a global crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking.
In support of this, NParks conducted raids at six premises across Singapore on Oct 9, targeting people suspected of engaging in illegal wildlife trade through online platforms, including Telegram.
Sixteen specimens were seized, including endangered species such as yellow-headed day geckos, a leopard tortoise, a spiny-tailed monitor and an Argentine black and white tegu.
The animals are being housed and cared for at NParks’ Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation.
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