NGO wants harsher punishment for wildlife trafficking leaderEducation for Nature Vietnam (ENV), a non-governmental organisation working on wildlife conversation in Viet Nam, on Thursday, submitted an appeal to the Hanoi People’s Court. The appeal was against the first instance verdict for Nguyen Mau Chien, an alleged kingpin of a transnational network, involved in trafficking rhino horns and ivory from Africa to VietNam. Moreover, in comparison with the 10-month imprisonment sentence granted to his accomplices Nguyen Van Tung and Nguyen Mau Thuon, Chien’s sentence of 13 months of imprisonment is not fitting considering his role as the leader of the wildlife trafficking and storing network. According to the Vietnam News Agency, Nguyen Mau Chien is alleged to be leading a transnational network involved in trafficking rhino horns, as well as in other illegal wildlife trade. The arrest of Chien in 2017 marks a milestone in VietNam’s battle against wildlife traffickers, as this is the first time a suspected leader of a wildlife trafficking network has been apprehended and prosecuted.