Taiwan arrests rhino horn smuggler

Taiwan arrests rhino horn smuggler

TAIPEI (Reuter): Taiwan customs officers have arrested an Indonesian trying to smuggle a rhinoceros horn into the island, an official said yesterday.

King Yen-ton, 50, was arrested after arriving at Taipei's international airport from Singapore on Wednesday, the airport duty officer, who declined to be named, said by telephone.

Customs officers spotted the one kilogram horn on passing his checked luggage through an X-ray machine, he said. Taiwan banned imports of rhino horn, which is used in Chinese medicine and aphrodisiacs, in 1985.

Offenders face up to two years in jail or fines of T$60,000 (US$2,300), but parliament is to raise the punishment to five years jail or T$1.5 million ($57,000) in fines soon.