[wildtrade] PRESS RELEASE: COOPERATION LEADS TO TANZANIA ARRESTS IN VIETNAM'S BIGGEST IVORY SEIZURE CASE

[ENV Communication]

Cooperation leads to Tanzanian arrests in Vietnam's biggest ivory seizure case



Six Tanzanian customs department officials have been arrested in connection to the seizure of over 6000 kilograms of ivory in Vietnam earlier this year.

 

On 5 March this year Vietnamese customs authorities in Hai Phong port confiscated 6,232 kilograms of elephant tusks hidden in 114 boxes of plastic waste inside a container which had been transported from Tanzania via Malaysia.

 

Vietnamese officials believe that the African elephant tusks, estimated to be worth $US10.5m (15 billion VND), were on route to China when they were intercepted in Hai Phong.

 

The officials, from the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), were arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes from smugglers and are believed to have approved the export documents for the illegal shipment of tusks that were seized in Vietnam.

For further information, see the file attached, pls

All the best,

My Dung
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Nguyen Thi My Dung
Communications Officer
Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV)
Tel: 84 4 3 5148850
Email: communication.env at fpt.vn
Skype: communicationenv
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