Customs officials in Shanghai have seized nearly 200 pieces of smuggled ivory since July, according to a press release issued yesterday.
In the latest seizure, customs officers at Pudong International Airport confiscated 25 pieces of smuggled ivory in mid-October.
According to the press release, customs officials said a traveler from Benin in West Africa attempted to enter the country by declaring the ivory as wood carvings, cigarettes, cosmetics and clothes.
However, when customs officers searched the individual's luggage during a routine inspection, they discovered a cache of elephant tusks, each of which had been sawed into pieces, the press release said.
This is the seventh reported case of ivory smuggling in the city since July, when customs found 156 pieces of smuggled ivory in a similar incident.
Under international law, the sale and trade of elephant tusks has been prohibited since the early 1990s. China has also banned the importation of ivory and has made numerous attempts in recent years to prevent the illegal trade in animal parts.
(eastday.com 11/13/2000)
