Singapore: 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, authorities said Tuesday.
The illegal cargo, discovered Monday in a container from the Democratic Republic of the Congo being shipped to Vietnam via Singapore, 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.
The ivory haul was valued at 12.9 million and is "the largest seizure of elephant ivory in Singapore to date", it said, and was estimated to have come from 300 African elephants.
Also found in the container were 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales and estimated to be worth about 35.7 million.
The scales were estimated to have come from 2,000 of the mammals.