The Aporia · California couple trafficked lion teeth, rhino horn in illegal wildlife trading ring

Justin Choi

64 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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🔮 Linh Luu and Kevin Le, an Anaheim couple, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Oregon to violating the Lacey Act, which bars illegal wildlife imports and exports. Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now. Thanks for signing up! “According to court documents and statements made in court, Luu and Le admitted that from September 2019 through May 2021, they processed $51,100 in payments to aid an individual in Vietnam to illegally move wildlife items to and from Oregon,” the DOJ said.

2026-10-23 · mixed framing · California couple trafficked lion teeth, rhino horn in illegal wildlife trading ring

Also by Justin Choi

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 64 articles by Justin Choi →

Topics

California DOJ Oregon Vietnam the Lacey Act

Subjects

Oregon GPE · 4× Vietnam GPE · 3× California GPE · 2× Canada GPE · 2× DOJ ORG · 2× Luu PERSON · 2× American NORP · 1× Anaheim ORG · 1× Kevin Le PERSON · 1× Linh Luu PERSON · 1×

Narrative

The trafficked animal parts are covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES, an international agreement designed to regulate wildlife trade and protect threatened species.

framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-24

2026-10-24 · New York Post

California couple trafficked lion teeth, rhino horn in illegal wildlife trading ring · mixed framing

Claims (11 extracted, 4 hedged)

A California couple has been busted for helping run an international wildlife trafficking ring that moved rhino horns, lion teeth and other animal parts between the US and Vietnam. asserted

that → bust → US

Linh Luu and Kevin Le, an Anaheim couple, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Oregon to violating the Lacey Act, which bars illegal wildlife imports and exports. Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now. Thanks for signing up! “According to court documents and statements made in court, Luu and Le admitted that from September 2019 through May 2021, they processed $51,100 in payments to aid an individual in Vietnam to illegally move wildlife items to and from Oregon,” the DOJ said. uncertain

DOJ → plead → Oregon

The operation shipped American black bear gallbladders and cougar bones to Vietnam while bringing lion teeth, rhino horns and a tiger pelt into Oregon. asserted

operation → ship → Oregon

In December 2020, Luu and Le met with an undercover federal agent and accepted $12,000 for a rhino horn, while discussing ways to dodge US banking regulations, prosecutors said. asserted

prosecutors → meet → regulations

The pair later each received about $5,000 for the horn parts, which were “shipped to Oregon disguised as a household decoration.” asserted

which → receive → decoration

parts → traffic → species

The Lacey Act, enacted in 1900, also prohibits the illegal import and export of wildlife. asserted

Act → enact → wildlife

This comes as three men pleaded guilty in early-October for illegally hunting wild bobcats in order to ship their pelts to Canada. asserted

men → come → Canada

The men routinely used bait to lure and kill the animals, then “transported the poached bobcat pelts to New York to be falsely tagged and exported to Canada,” according to the DOJ. uncertain

men → use → DOJ

In August, a woman was arrested at the US-Mexico border after authorities allegedly found 69 live animals in her vehicle, including venomous vipers, caimans and a baby crocodile. uncertain

authorities → arrest → vipers

The animals were reportedly stuffed into pillowcases sealed with tape. uncertain

animals → stuff → tape

California couple trafficked lion teeth, rhino horn in illegal wildlife trading ring

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Claims (11 extracted, 4 hedged)