Grand jury indicts California pair in sale of black rhino horns

Two California men were indicted by a Las Vegas federal grand jury Wednesday on charges of illegally selling the horns of the endangered black rhinoceros.

Lumsden W. Quan and Edward N. Levine were arrested in Las Vegas last month following an undercover investigation by agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Both men, who are free on their own recognizance, are charged in the indictment with conspiracy and violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits the sale across state lines of protected wildlife. They are to appear for arraignment in federal court on the charges on April 10.

According to the indictment, Quan and Levine brought the rhinoceros horns to Las Vegas from California and sold them for $55,000 in cash to an undercover Fish and Wildlife agent at the South Point resort.

The defendants were acting as brokers for the owner of the horns in San Francisco, court documents allege.

The black rhinoceros, native to eastern and central Africa, has been threatened by the international demand for its prized horns. It is listed in the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Vance Jurgens, a Denver-based Fish and Wildlife agent, said in a complaint last month that rhinoceros horns are a “highly sought after commodity” internationally, even though their trade has been banned since 1976.

“The demand for rhinoceros horn, which is used by some cultures for ornamental carvings, good luck charms or alleged Asian medicinal purposes, has resulted in a thriving black market,” he said.

Jurgens said he was part of a federal team participating in “Operation Crash,” which investigates the illegal killing of the animals and trafficking of their horns.