$500,000 worth of rhino horn found in passenger's luggage

BANGKOK (AP):

Thai authorities have seized more than $500,000 worth of rhino horn from a passenger's luggage at a Bangkok airport.

Thai Customs officer Khanit Isdul said Sunday that officials acting on a tip-off found four rhino horns in the passenger's luggage at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Officials arrested Phan Quangloc, a 56-year-old Vietnamese passenger who arrived with the case from Ethiopia on Sunday. He is expected to face a jail term in Thailand, if convicted of smuggling.

Officials estimated the value of the confiscated horns, cut into six sections, at 18 million baht (US$586,000).

Asia is the main market for smuggled rhino horn, as some people believe it can cure diseases. Trade in rhino parts is banned under international agreements.