SAMUT PRAKAN, 15 April 2014 – Twenty-two kilograms of elephant tusks have been confiscated at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Suvarnabhumi’s Customs Office authorities have arrested a Cambodian man who was trying to smuggle 7 elephant tusks and other ivory-made accessories, worth around 2 million baht altogether, through the airport.
After the arrest, the man confessed that he was delivering the tusks to a man in Hanoi City, Vietnam.
According to authorities, all of the confiscated items will be forwarded to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Thai authorities will also contact responsible agencies in Vietnam to find out who is the mastermind behind this operation.
Elephant tusks are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It is a multilateral treaty that protects endangered plants and animals, including elephants.
