Two Nigerian men were arrested in Johannesburg after South African authorities seized more than 55kg of rhinoceros horns and over 26kg of big cat parts in a joint operation with Singapore's National Parks Board (NParks), highlighting the scale and sophistication of transnational wildlife trafficking networks.
NParks said it was alerted on November 11 to a suspicious shipment originating from South Africa that was transiting through Singapore Changi Airport.
The consignment bore striking similarities to another shipment seized just days earlier, on November 8, which contained 35.7kg of rhinoceros horns — the largest such haul ever intercepted in Singapore — along with about 150kg of other animal parts including bones, teeth and claws.
Instead of seizing the November 11 shipment immediately, NParks chose a different approach. Working closely with South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), the agency facilitated a controlled return of the shipment to South Africa to allow investigators to trace the source and identify those behind the operation.
Senior director of wildlife trade at NParks, Dr Anna Wong, said the shipment was not opened in Singapore due to strong indicators that it contained contraband, and coordination with logistics partners enabled its monitored return.
Following the shipment's arrival back in South Africa, authorities conducted an operation on December 1 at a storage facility in Johannesburg.
There, they uncovered four boxes containing 17 rhinoceros horns weighing 55.4kg, along with 26.2kg of lion and tiger bones, skulls and claws. Two Nigerian men were arrested and later charged under South Africa's National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act for carrying out restricted activities involving protected species.
NParks said that the recovered wildlife products are believed to be linked to a wider international trafficking syndicate smuggling animal part from South Africa to foreign markets.
For the November 11 shipment, Singapore's Commercial Affairs Department is also investigating possible money laundering offences under local laws.
Rhinoceroses are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which bans the international trade of rhinoceros horns.
NParks said the controlled return strategy allowed authorities to go beyond a single seizure and instead pursue the dismantling of the broader criminal network at its source, demonstrating the value of close international cooperation.
Further analysis by NParks' Centre for Wildlife Forensics confirmed that animal parts seized in the November 8 shipment included those from lions and tigers. NParks is also collaborating with the University of Pretoria to determine the origin of the rhinoceros' horns.
Addressing concerns about Singapore's role as a transit hub, Dr Wong said the country has robust enforcement measures and a multi-agency approach that has enabled the detection of such illicit shipments. NParks added that intelligence has been shared with international partners, including INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization and authorities in Laos, the declared destination of the shipment.
The case comes amid broader global efforts to curb wildlife crime. In December, INTERPOL said a multi-country operation earlier this year seized nearly 30,000 live animals — the largest haul recorded under Operation Thunder. As a signatory to CITES, Singapore reiterated its commitment to combating illegal wildlife trade and strengthening international collaboration to protect endangered species.
