Alleged Malaysian wildlife trafficker hit with US sanctions

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is targeting an alleged Malaysian wildlife trafficker and what officials call his transnational criminal organization for financial sanctions related to the illegal shipment of rhino horn, ivory and other specimens. The Treasury Department says Teo Boon Ching engages in the “cruel trafficking of endangered and threatened wildlife and the products of brutal poaching.” The department says Teo specializes in the transportation of rhino horn, ivory, and pangolins — also known as scaly anteaters — from Africa, using routes through Malaysia and Laos to consumers in Vietnam and China.