HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Customs officials in Vietnam say they discovered 9.2 pounds of elephant tusks hidden in a package of clothes sent from France.
The package was intended to be sent to an individual in Hanoi, but arrived in Ho Chi Minh City due to an error, the Express Delivery Customs department said.
Advertisement
Officials found the tusks on Feb. 12 after opening the package, which appeared suspicious, Tuoi Tre News reported.
Samples of the tusks were sent to the Tropical Biological Institute for testing. The institute confirmed Tuesday that the items were ivory tusks originating from Africa.
The customs department sealed the tusks, which are worth $96,000.
Vietnam banned the trade of elephant tusks in 1992.
Read More
- Four African nations pledge to end all sales of ivory
- France destroys ivory publicly in effort to stop illegal trade
- U.N. targets poaching and wildlife trade in Dem. Republic of Congo
- U.S. conservationists laud EU action against ivory poaching
- China destroys 13,500 pounds of illegally traded ivory
- U.S. crushes 6 tons of illegal ivory
