The house on Trung My Tay 13 Street belongs to a woman identified only as Van, reportedly the kingpin of wildlife smuggling in the city.

Nguyen Van Luu, deputy chief of the local forest protection department -- which carried out the raid -- said investigations are on to see if the animals are protected.

Nguyen Minh Tien, whom the Tuoi Tre story identified as Van’s employee, claimed the products are meant for use and not sale.

The Tuoi Tre reporters said he had delivered a tiger cub to them several days ago after they did a deal with Van posing as customers.

They had also asked for bear legs and king cobras, and the woman had said she could supply wildlife products smuggled into Vietnam from Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

Tuoi Tre found out that she has been running the trade for 10 years now, with her supply chain covering Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces and also Hanoi.

She usually delivers products to customers by xe om (motorbike taxis), bus, or taxi.

Source: Tuoi Tre