Illegal shipment of ivory intercepted by customs

The ivory tusks were seized on August 31 in two parcels sent from Germany, weighing more than 60 kilos. Customs scanning indicated the goods may have been made from animals so were sent to the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources for tests. Tests released recently showed that all the 47-kilos of the industrial goods were made from ivory.

Trading, storing and transporting ivory is forbidden in Vietnam. Violators can be fined from VND5-50 million or imprisoned from six months to five years.

In the other cases, customs in cooperation with anti-smuggling and anti-drug police discovered a suspicious imported parcel weighing 12.14 kilos sent from the Netherlands to Hanoi and HCM City. The eight-kilo goods were then tested positive with 3.4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA).

The police then arrested two suspects in Hanoi and one in HCM City. The case in under further investigation.