Hanoi, Feb. 7, (dpa/GNA) - Vietnamese customs agents seized more than 600 kilograms of elephant tusks concealed inside two containers from Africa, authorities said on Tuesday, making it the largest seizure of smuggled ivory in the country since October 2018.
Customs authorities in the northern port city of Hai Phong on Monday found nearly 130kg of ivory hidden in a container of cow horns that originated from Nigeria, Vietnam Customs said in a report published on Tuesday.
The arrest came after the discovery of 490kg of African ivory last Thursday at Lach Huyen Port in the same city, the report said.
Both containers were addressed to a company in Hanoi, both declared as “cow horns,” which are allowed to be used in the production of handicrafts in Vietnam.
Ivory is banned from import or export in Vietnam but they can be sold within between $770-1,200 per kilogram, and the country is often used as a stop for African ivory on its way to China.
International trade in ivory has been banned since 1989 with the exception of occasional auctions from stockpiles.
GNA