Three tonnes of illegal ivory are discharged on February 6, 2014 in
front of the Eiffel tower in Paris, France. Singapore authorities
intercepted about one tonne of ivory worth $1.6 million in a shipping
container from Africa marked as carrying coffee berries. Photo/AFP
By AFP
In Summary
Singapore authorities said
Thursday they had intercepted about one tonne of ivory worth $1.6
million in a shipping container from Africa marked as carrying coffee
berries.
The seizure was made in an
export inspection station at the Pasir Panjang port on March 25
following a tip-off, Singapore Customs and the Agri-Food &
Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a statement.
"The shipment, which was
declared as coffee berries, was transiting through Singapore from Africa
in a 20-foot (six-metre) container and destined for another Asian
country," the statement said.
The shipment contained 106 pieces of raw ivory tusks weighing about one tonne, it said.
The statement did not mention if arrests had been made, but said investigations are ongoing.
International trade in ivory has
been banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1989. Singapore, a major
global port, is a signatory to the convention.
The statement urged shipping and
logistics firms in Singapore to "exercise prudence" when accepting jobs
from customers to avoid being implicated in illegal wildlife
trafficking.
The ivory haul last week is the third largest by Singapore authorities since 2002.
In January last year, 1.8 tonnes
of ivory from Africa was seized in the city-state, while six tonnes of
raw ivory tusks and cut pieces were intercepted in 2002.
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