South African prosecutors have accused a high-profile animal breeder of running an illegal rhino horn smuggling network across the globe.

John Hume, 83, once owned one of the world's largest rhino herds at his ranch near Johannesburg. He and five others are accused of running a scheme to export more than 900 rhino horns valued at $14.1 million (€12.2 million).

All five were arrested on Tuesday following a "complex investigation into transnational trafficking of rhino horns" that began in 2017, the police's specialized Hawks unit said.

South Africa's Environment Minister Dion George said the investigation was "a powerful demonstration of South Africa's resolve to protect its natural heritage."

Rhino horns smuggled with false permits

Zimbabwean-born Hume owned the 7,800-hectare (19,270-acre) Platinum Rhino ranch in South Africa's North West province until 2023, when it was bought by wildlife NGO African Parks in a bid to rewild the animals.

The ranch is home to around 2,000 animals — around 15% of the world's remaining wild population of southern white rhinos.

Investigators said they uncovered fraud involving government officials who issued permits for 964 rhino horns to be sold domestically, but which were actually shipped to illegal markets in Southeast Asia.

South African law allows the domestic trade of rhino horns. But overseas sales are banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Rhinos were once abundant across Africa but have dramatically fallen in number due to large-scale hunting and poaching. Alongside ivory, rhino horns are highly sought-after in Asia as status symbols and for their supposed aphrodisiac properties.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic