The People’s Court of Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, recently opened a first-instance court, sentenced defendant Dang Hoang Phuc to 6 years in prison for illegally selling otters on Facebook.
Specifically, on June 15, the People’s Court of Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, opened a first-instance trial related to the case of illegal otters trading on Facebook. At the court, defendant Dang Hoang Phuc (born in 1997, residing in Phuoc Long A ward, district 9, Ho Chi Minh City) was sentenced to 6 years in prison for the act of “violating regulations on the protection of precious and endangered animals”.
Previously, a representative of the Education Center for Nature (ENV) said that on December 3, 2020, after receiving reports from the people about the case of using social networks to sell wildlife animals, the Center had assisted and coordinated with the Phu Nhuan District Police to inspect and arrest the suspect while he was illegally transporting and trading six small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinerea).
At the time of capture, each other was for sale for 4.5 million VND. All of the above otters were handed over to the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden.
A small-clawed otter is a wild animal of the mammal class listed in the List of endangered precious and rare species prioritized for protection under Decree 64/2019/ND-CP, the highest level of protection according to Vietnamese law.
With the act of advertising and selling wildlife on social networks, along with six individuals of otters caught at the scene, Dang Hoang Phuc was eligible to constitute the crime of “violating regulations on conservation of endangered animals at rare grade” as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 244 of the Penal Code 2015, amended and supplemented in 2017, with a penalty of 5-10 years for individuals.
According to the National Wildlife Protection Data System of ENV, this is not the first time Dang Hoang Phuc has violated laws on wildlife protection. The subject had repeatedly taken advantage of social networks and the Internet to advertise and sell many other rare and endangered wildlife species such as tigers and otters.
Currently, many smugglers have been taking advantage of the popularity and accessibility of social networks and the Internet to carry out their illegal activities.
In the face of the complicated situation of wildlife trafficking on social networking platforms, the authorities need to take more drastic action and more robust measures to strictly handle violators, deter and prevent wildlife crimes, and protect biodiversity.
Source: Vietnamplus Newspaper
