California Couple Sentenced in Wildlife Trafficking Case Involving Tiger Pelt, Rhino Horns and More

An Anaheim couple has been sentenced after pleading guilty to their role in an international scheme that moved protected wildlife parts between Oregon and Vietnam, including a tiger pelt, rhinoceros horn segments, and lion teeth.

Late last week, Linh Luu and Kevin Le pleaded guilty in federal court in Eugene, Oregon, to violating the Lacey Act, the federal law that prohibits the illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife products. For their actions, the pair got off with relative ease, each receiving just three years of probation and a $10,000 fine for hauling exotic animal parts across international borders.

Court documents show that between September 2019 and May 2021 the couple processed roughly $51,100 in payments to help a contact in Vietnam illegally transport wildlife items. The operation was bi-directional in operation and ran in both directions.  From the U.S. side, American black bear gallbladders and cougar bones were shipped from Oregon to Vietnam, while lion teeth, portions of black and white rhinoceros horns, and a tiger pelt traded places and were illegally imported into Oregon.

In one documented transaction that ultimately blew the case wide open, Luu and Le met an undercover federal agent in a parking lot in December 2020 and accepted $12,000 in cash as a down payment on a rhinoceros horn segment. During the meeting they discussed methods to avoid U.S. banking rules designed to flag suspicious financial activity, and later each received nearly $5,000 in electronic payments for the horn, which was shipped to Oregon disguised as a household decoration in an attempt to evade customs. Prosecutors said the deal was intended to build trust for larger future transactions.

The economics of the illegal exotic wildlife trade is why this kind of stuff still goes on. Moving rhino horn on the black market can fetch pricing in the tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram, commonly cited in the $30,0000 - $60,000 range at the consumer end in Asia, making a single horn worth more than most people make in a year. Tiger pelts and bones similarly carry substantial value in illegal markets, offering high margins and relatively low risk for those familiar with established trafficking routes. Demand in countries such as Vietnam and China has persisted despite international trade restrictions, with regulations under CITES and related treaties increasing transaction costs and creating premiums for those willing to circumvent the rules.

For now, the court record does not identify or provide any indication of the legal status of the trade partner in Vietnam, nor does it state by which methods the gallbladders and cougar bones were acquired here in the US.