Vietnam seizes 7 tons ivory in largest wildlife smuggling case in years

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnamese authorities on Monday, March 20, seized seven tons of ivory smuggled from Angola, the largest seizure of wildlife products in years, the government said.

Trade in ivory is illegal in Vietnam but wildlife trafficking remains widespread. Other items often found smuggled into the country include pangolin scales, rhino horns, and tiger carcasses.

Customs authorities in Haiphong City on Monday found the ivory hidden in a container declared to customs as peanuts, the government said in a statement, adding that the cargo had transited via Singapore.

This followed the finding of more than 600 kilograms of African ivory last month at the city’s Lach Huyen Port.

Last month, a court in Vietnam sentenced a man to 13 years in prison for trafficking nearly 10 tons of endangered animal parts from Africa, including ivory and rhino horns.

The government said on Monday it continued to investigate the case. – Rappler.com