Authorities in Xinjiang have uncovered one of the biggest smuggling rings of antelope horns in recent years.

Customs officers at the China-Kazakhstan border have confiscated dozens of boxes containing over two thousand horns of the Saiga antelope. They are estimated to be worth over seventy million yuan, or around twelve million US dollars.

Customs agents say they launched an investigation in January, setting up a sting operation to apprehend the smugglers. On June 1st at midnight, a smuggler tried to transport the horns through a land port in Xinjiang’s border town Khorgas but was arrested at the scene. With an estimated 50,000 Saiga antelopes left in the world, the species is a first-grade protected animal in China.

"The Khorgas land port is an important gateway for Xinjiang’s trade and a key hub for the Silk Road economic belt. We are always on high alert against smuggling, not just of endangered species, but also of the illegal transport of guns, explosives and propaganda materials covering terrorism. This is all done to guarantee order and stability for international trade. A further investigation into the case is still underway," Liu Chui, director of Khorgas Customs, said.