On 11 September, Luang Prabang authorities seized 17 items suspected to be wildlife products weighing 28.03 kilograms, amid concerns over wildlife trafficking in the province.
Officers inspected a property in Sanghalok village and recovered suspected rhinoceros horn, carved ivory, wildlife bile and traditional medicines containing wildlife ingredients, along with equipment believed to be used to process wildlife meat,
According to official reports published on 18 September, authorities are now holding all seized items as evidence pending verification.
Police detained the foreign man the same day for questioning over his suspected involvement in the trade. Authorities did not release his name, age, nationality or occupation, citing personal data protection rules.
Three days later, on 14 September, the Luang Prabang Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Inspection Division issued a three-page order calling for an arrest warrant, a formal investigation and his transfer to a provincial detention facility.
The case remains under investigation. The order cites Laos’ Criminal Procedure Law, Wildlife Law and Penal Code, and does not amount to a finding of guilt. The man is presumed innocent unless a court rules otherwise.
A Pattern of Seizures
The raid is the latest in a series of wildlife trafficking cases reported across Laos this year.
On 16 August, authorities detained 11 foreign nationals in Bolikhamxay Province after seizing roughly 1.8 tonnes of suspected ivory and two carcasses resembling black panthers.
In June, Champasak officials intercepted 294 live animals, including turtles, pythons and snakes, on an international bus. Separate operations in Luang Prabang that month turned up more than 170 kilograms of ivory, rhino horn and pangolin products.
Earlier in May, Lao authorities found 25.52 kilograms of bear paws and pangolin parts at a Vientiane restaurant. Across the Mekong, Thai officers also intercepted 130.9 kilograms of ivory being transported to Laos.
On 10 February, Thai authorities arrested a Vietnamese man accused of smuggling 11 kilograms of rhino horn from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Thailand to Laos.
