Police seized 2.2 tonnes of tusks smuggled into Vietnam from Nigeria on
Friday (yesterday). The tusks were allegedly brought into Vietnam by Da
Nang-based Van An Company from Mozambique and were hidden inside three
imported timber cargo containers. The company declared that the three
containers only carried imported timber. The invoice named a local
business as the receiver of the shipment.
Vietnam has banned ivory trade since the 1990s, and yet it has been
fueled by the rising affluence in recent years and the demand for using
ivories for decoration. Officers said the tusks can sell for around
VND100 billion (US$4.44 million) on the black market.
