Thai Customs Department officials examined the seized elephant tusks at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday and valued the haul at $3.6 million.
(Thailand Customs Department/AFP/Getty Images)
Thailand seizes 239 ivory tusks
Thai Customs Department officials examined the seized elephant tusks at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday and valued the haul at $3.6 million.
(Thailand Customs Department/AFP/Getty Images)
BANGKOK - Thailand has seized two tons of elephant tusks from Africa hidden in pallets labeled as mobile phone parts in the country’s largest ivory seizure.
Thai Customs officials valued Wednesday night’s haul at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at $3.6 million. It is a further sign that Thailand is emerging as a hub for the illicit trade.
Poaching of elephants in central and eastern Africa has intensified in recent years, with much of the illegal ivory exported to Asia.
Seree Thaijongrak, director of the investigation and suppression bureau for the Customs Department, said that acting on a tip, officials seized two pallets containing 239 tusks of African elephants.
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