260kgs of ivory seized at JKIA

Customs officials inspect the 260 kilograms of ivory seized at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on July 25, 2014. The ivory was en route to Malaysia. The origin of the ivory could not be immediately established. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE  NATION

In Summary

• The ivory was packed in 12 cartons and was to be transported to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• It contained 1356 pieces that had been painted in black and brown.
• The ivory has an estimated street value of Sh33.8million.
• Police are yet to confirm whether the ivory originated from Kenya.

By STELLA CHERONO
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About 260kgs of ivory have been seized at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Nairobi.

The ivory was packed in 12 cartons which also contained carvings and was to be transported to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

Deputy Commander, Kenya Airports Police Unit, Douglas Kirocho said the cargo was delivered to the Swissport Cargo Terminal by G4S employees on Thursday and booked for transportation with Turkish Airlines.

"When security personnel scanned the packages, they detected a suspicious commodity and that is when we decided to open them today in the morning and check," Mr Kirocho said.

"We discovered that they contained 1356 pieces that had been painted in black and brown," he said.

Mr Kirocho said the ivory with an estimated street value of Sh33.8million had been cross-checked by the Kenya Wildlife services.

ORIGIN NOT YET KNOWN

Police are yet to confirm whether the ivory originated from Kenya or it was on transit through JKIA.

JKIA Customs Manager, Justus Nyamache told the Nation that the cargo unit has become more alert following the increase in cases of illegal consignments.

"We have learnt the tricks used by criminals to transport drugs, ivory and other things and we will not allow them to prosper," Mr Nyamache said.

The number of people arrested for being in possession of ivory continues to rise despite the tough penalties put in place to curb poaching.

On Wednesday, a Chinese woman was arrested at the JKIA as she tried to smuggle ivory worth Sh1.2million to Hong Kong.

She had misrepresented her cargo as macadamia nuts.

The poaching of elephants for their ivory tusks and rhinos for their horns has been on the rise in Kenya, with the country also acting as a conduit for smuggled ivory en route to Asian counties.

According to an Interpol report, global large-scale ivory seizures hit record levels last year, with many of them occurring in Kenya and the East African region.