Singapore seizes record haul of smuggled elephant ivory

Nine tonnes of contraband tusks from about 300 animals found in illegal cargo from DRC

Agence France-Presse in Singapore

Tue 23 Jul 2019 08.18 BST Last modified on Tue 23 Jul 2019 11.38 BST

Singapore has made its largest ever seizure of smuggled ivory, impounding a haul of nearly nine tonnes of contraband tusks from an estimated 300 elephants, according to authorities.

The illegal cargo, discovered on Sunday in a container from the Democratic Republic of the Congo also included a huge stash of pangolin scales – the third such seizure in as many months.

Officials said both the ivory and pangolin scales were in a container declared to be loaded with timber destined for Vietnam and passing through Singapore, a major transhipment hub for global trade.

On inspection, authorities found 8.8 tonnes of elephant ivory, the national parks board, customs and immigration and checkpoints authority said in a joint statement.

It said the ivory haul was valued at $12.9m (£10.4m) and was the largest seizure of elephant ivory in Singapore to date, and was estimated to have come from 300 African elephants.

Also found in the container were 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales estimated to be worth about $35.7m. The scales were estimated to have come from 2,000 of the mammals.

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