Six people have been jailed for their involvement in the illegal trade of more than 2.8 tonnes of pangolin scales, one of the country's largest such seizures ever recorded. The People's Court of Nghệ An handed a seven-year prison term to Hồ Văn Mạnh and a three-year sentence to Trần Thị Ngọc for trading prohibited goods and violating regulations on the protection of endangered wildlife. Four other defendants - Phạm Thị Lập, Hồ Mai Yên, Cao Xuân Quý, and Nguyễn Thị Long - received sentences ranging from 15 months to three years. Quý and Long were given suspended sentences. A related suspect, Lê Quang Lợi, remains at large and is currently wanted by authorities. The group was detained in October 2023 after being caught illegally trading 2.8 tonnes of pangolin scales, including those from the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) and several African species.