Uncarved tusks can fetch up to £4000 per kg

The former US defence attaché in Nairobi has been convicted of smuggling thousands of pounds worth of ivory, just hours after President Obama pledged to fight a crisis in illegal wildlife trafficking.

David McNevin was arrested with 21 pieces of ornately carved elephant tusks as he boarded a flight to the Netherlands, from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International airport, according to officials.

Uncarved tusks, which sold for £36 a kilo in 1976, can fetch up to £4000 per kg today, while carved items and antique pieces can cost much more.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said McNevin was seized by a joint security team with five ivory bangles, seven rings, seven pendants and two ornaments, with a total weight of 0.8kg.

He was fined 30,000 Kenyan