HARBIN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A court in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province has sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for smuggling 88 Saiga antelope horns, local authorities said Thursday.
The Intermediate People's Court of Mudanjiang city also ordered confiscation of assets of 100,000 yuan (14.5 U.S. dollars) from the convict, surnamed Yan.
Anti-smuggling officers of Suifenhe city found evidence of Yan's suspicious behavior in border areas between China and Russia early last year. Officers detained Yan on May 11, 2018, when he drove back from the border area.
A total of 88 endangered Saiga antelope horns were seized on the spot. Saiga antelopes are under Class One national protection in China.
Investigation showed Yan conspired with a Russian railway maintenance worker, who placed the antelope horns on an appointed site along the railway, and Yan later brought the horns back to China.
The 88 horns were valued at over 7 million yuan in total, according to the court.
