Vietnamnews on Thethaovanhoa.vn reports that Customs authorities at Noi Bai International Airport recently discovered two people illegally transporting 50 kilograms of elephant ivory on a flight arriving from Russia. On August 5, the suspects and illegal products were transferred to police for further investigation.
The global illegal ivory trade is continuing to boom as a result of increased demand for ivory products. According to the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), poaching has increased in every subregion of Africa and is increasingly involving organized crime and, in some cases, well-armed rebel militias.
Vietnam is one of eight countries identified earlier this year by CITES as a primary source, transit and import country for the global illegal ivory trade. In particular, authorities in Vietnam are discovering more and more ivory being trafficked by air.
Photo courtesy of baohaiquan.vn
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