Nine alleged members of an international network of rhino horn and ivory traffickers went on trial in France this Monday after an investigation shed light on illicit trade links between Europe and east Asia.
French prosecutors started their probe after a random motorway traffic inspection by police in September 2015 that led to the discovery of several elephant tusks and €32,800 in cash in a BMW.
The occupants of the car, who claimed they were antique dealers, were allegedly members of the Rathkeale Rovers, an Irish crime gang with roots in the Traveller community.
The nine defendants are on trial in the city of Rennes, along alleged traders of Chinese and Vietnamese origin. They face up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines of upto €750,000.
Two of the accused, however, are on the run.
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Tusks processed for traditional medicines trade
French police discovered that ivory and rhino horn were being turned into powder, flakes, and other objects on French soil before being exported to Vietnam and China where they are used in traditional medicine.
According to environmental group Robin des Bois, an exceptionally large horn weighing nearly 15 kilos was seized during the investigation, which would have earned around €13 million once processed at Asian market prices at the time.
Around 40 elephant tusks were also discovered.
Robin des Bois, which is observing the trial, alleged that auction houses in the French towns of Cannes, Toulouse and Le Puy had facilitated the export of tusks to Vietnam and China.
"Before smuggling, its bargaining and swindles, there is poaching with its cruelties," the group said in a statement.
Le procès de 9 prévenus inculpés d’importation, de détention, de transport et d’exportation d’ivoire d’éléphants et de corne de rhinocéros en bande organisée s’ouvre ce 6 septembre 2021 devant le tribunal correctionnel de Rennes. #rathkealerovers https://t.co/mGM5ZtYnQf pic.twitter.com/VuIKeEJ5DF
— Robin des Bois (@robindesbois_tw) September 6, 2021
"Wildlife trafficking also contributes to the destruction and impoverishment of ecosystems, encourages speculation in elephant ivory and rhino horns and thus stimulates poaching."
The Rathkeale Rovers were the target of a joint investigation by European police in 2010 that led to 31 people being arrested, including for the theft of rhino horns, the Europol police agency says on its website.
