Elephant tusk smuggler seized in HCM City

Customs officials at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport seized a Vietnamese man illegally transporting 21 kilograms of African elephant ivory tusk products into the country on June 30.

Customs officials at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport seized a Vietnamese man illegally transporting 21 kilograms of African elephant ivory tusk products into the country on June 30.

Illustrative image.

Twenty elephant tusk-based products were secretly hidden in the luggage belonging to the man, who was returning from France.

Investigation in the case is ongoing.

Ivory-based products sell at a high price to Vietnamese buyers. The government has banned both the import of elephant tusks and the hunting of elephants for tusks.

Last month, a 13 million USD project was approved by the government aimed at protecting wild elephants in the country.