(MENAFN) Singapore authorities announced on Tuesday that they had seized rhinoceros horns valued at more than $800,000 from a suspicious shipment destined for Vientiane, Laos, marking the largest such seizure in the country’s history.

On November 8, officers confiscated 20 rhinoceros horn pieces weighing a total of 35.7 kg (78.7 pounds) after SATS Group, an air cargo handler at Changi Airport, alerted the police, according to a statement from the National Parks Board. "This is the largest-ever seizure of rhinoceros horns in Singapore, surpassing the previous record of 34.7 kg (76.5 pounds) in 2022," the statement noted.

Authorities also recovered around 150 kg (330 pounds) of other animal parts, whose species are still being identified.

"Singapore takes a zero-tolerance stance on the illegal trade of endangered wildlife species, and their parts and derivatives," the board emphasized.

Transporting animals protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) through Singapore without proper permits carries severe penalties. Offenders may face fines of up to S$200,000 ($153,680) per specimen — totaling $768,403 based on the value of the seized horns — and/or imprisonment for up to eight years.

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