Infamous Rhino Horn Trafficker Sentenced: Unmasking the Kingpin Behind the $2 Million Illicit Wildlife Trade

In a ruling that conservation groups claim will deliver a significant blow to the illegal wildlife trade, a US court sentenced Teo Boon Ching, a Malaysian citizen known as "the Godfather," to 18 months in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to traffic hundreds of kilos of rhino horns. The conspiracy aimed to transport illegal rhino horns to international buyers, including those in Manhattan, as stated in a press release from the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Ching, who had already been sanctioned by the US, was apprehended in Thailand last year and subsequently extradited to the United States, according to the release.

"The smuggling of wildlife poses a significant danger," stated Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in the release. "This lengthy sentence demonstrates the determination of our office to utilize all available resources in safeguarding endangered species."

Despite ongoing conservation efforts, rhinos are currently facing a critical endangerment status. The significant decline in their population can be attributed to factors such as hunting and the loss of their natural habitats. According to the World Wildlife Fund, only a few thousand rhinos are left in the wild across Africa and Asia.

The demand for traditional medicine, particularly in China and Vietnam, has fueled a highly profitable black market trade. Rhino horn, composed of keratin which is the same substance found in human nails, is sought after despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting its supposed medicinal qualities.

Rhinos are among the world's most critically endangered animals despite efforts to save the species.

Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images

Body blow

Prosecutors revealed that through a covert operation, Ching's involvement in the illegal trafficking of approximately 219 kilograms [483 pounds] of rhino horns, obtained through the poaching of multiple rhinoceros, was unveiled. The estimated worth of these horns is $2.1 million.

During the month of August 2019, under the guidance of law enforcement, an informant purchased 12 rhino horns from Ching. He was under the impression that the funds used for the transaction were derived from other unlawful wildlife trafficking operations and were kept in bank accounts located in New York, as per officials.

Officials stated that the wildlife trafficking organization's members delivered the horns in a suitcase to Thailand. Ching was apprehended in Thailand on June 29, 2022, following a request from US authorities, and subsequently extradited to the United States on October 7, 2022.

A greater one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India on March 9, 2019.

Krystof Kriz/CTK/AP

Good news: Greater one-horned rhino population is on the way up

The incarceration of Ching, facilitated by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), dealt a severe blow to the illicit wildlife trade, according to the agency. In a statement, the EIA highlighted the extensive exploitation of Malaysia and other Southeast Asian nations by Chinese and Vietnamese criminal networks, utilizing them as transit points for smuggling contraband wildlife from Africa to Asia.

The imprisonment of Teo Boon Ching, along with the subsequent sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department on both him and his alleged trafficking organization, significantly impairs their operational capabilities. According to Olivia Swaak-Goldman, the executive director of the non-profit organization Wildlife Justice Commission, Ching's conviction conveys a decisive message that the illegal trade of wildlife will not be accepted any longer.

"His arrest and imprisonment has significantly disrupted the illegal wildlife trade," she said.