KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian wildlife smuggler Teo Boon Ching, who was extradited to the United States for trafficking rhinoceros horns worth US$725,000 in 2018, has never been on the radar of local enforcement agencies.
Bukit Aman police secretary Datuk Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin said checks on 57-year-old Teo's name in the police system had turned up empty.
"Police and the Wildlife Crime Bureau (WCB) have been keeping tabs on Teo who was extradited from Thailand to be charged in the US for his wildlife trafficking and money laundering allegations.
"However, so far, we could not find any criminal records or cases under his name in Malaysia," she said in a statement today.
Noorsiah said police would continue to monitor the development of Teo's case and would cooperate with both local and international enforcement agencies to curb wildlife trade and related crimes.
It was reported that Teo, who is facing three charges in the United States, was arrested in Thailand on June 29. He is believed to have been involved in the wildlife smuggling trade for more than two decades.
He is allegedly linked to a Vietnamese syndicate operating in Asian countries with its base in Vietnam.
Teo was reported to be the second in command and the leader of a transnational criminal network codenamed Hydra.
Teo is also said to specialise in transporting rhino horns, ivory and pangolins from Africa and used routes through Malaysia and Laos to service clients in Vietnam and China, the Treasury Department statement said.
The US sought extradition under the bilateral extradition treaty involving both nations following Teo's arrest.
Teo was described as going by the names Zhang, Dato Sri and Godfather.
A statement from the US Treasury Department on Friday said an indictment was unsealed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, charging Teo with conspiracy to engage in wildlife trafficking and money laundering.
The US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is also seeking to bring charges against Teo's Malaysian company, Sunrise Greenland Sdn Bhd.
The statement said that although Teo was publicly linked to the illicit wildlife trade for years, he had evaded the law and continued to operate his illicit business.
It was reported that US attorney Damian Williams said Teo was allegedly a leader of a transnational criminal enterprise trafficking in rhinoceros horns, which enriched poachers responsible for the illegal slaughter of endangered rhinoceros, and furthering the market for such illicit products.
Teo was charged for participating in a conspiracy to traffic in more than 70kg of rhinoceros horns valued at more than US$725,000.
"Teo also claimed to be able to ship rhinoceros horns to the United States," the statement read, adding that he had, on several occasions, served as "middleman" to negotiate the sale of rhinoceros horns.
He is being charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking, which carries a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment, and two counts of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.