Czechs seize 2 rhino horns at Prague airport believed meant for southeast Asia black market

PRAGUE, Czech Republic—Czech officials say airport customs authorities have seized two horns of endangered rhinoceroses believed to be destined for the black market in southeast Asia.

Customs official Sarka Miskovska says the horns, weighing 6.77 kilograms (15 pounds), were hidden in a parcel with electrical materials. Miskovska said Thursday its true content was revealed by an X-ray scanner at Prague’s Vaclav Havel Airport.

Simona Cigankova of the Czech Environmental Inspectorate says the horns belonged to the southern white rhino and their black market value is estimated at $360,000.

Demand for rhino horns has skyrocketed in recent years, leading to increased prices on the black market.

Despite no evidence, there’s a belief in Asia that taking ground-up horn cures diseases.