Customs officers in Hong Kong confiscate 569 pieces of illegal elephant ivory, their second major seizure of tusks in a month

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Hong Kong customs officers have made their second major seizure of ivory in less than a month after confiscating more than a tonne of the elephant tusks worth $1.4m (£880,000).

Officers discovered 569 pieces of ivory on Thursday, weighing 1,330kg (2,930 lbs), in a container shipped to a Hong Kong port.

A search of a container from Tanzania yielded 45 bags of unprocessed tusks concealed in more than 400 bags of sunflower seeds, said Vincent Wong, a customs divisional commander.

The smugglers used an indirect route, shipping the ivory through Dubai and transferring it from one ship to another.

While the container's destination was listed as Hong Kong, officials believe the shipment was intended for another location but did not say where.

The discovery comes weeks after customs officers in Hong Kong made a record seizure of endangered species products, confiscating nearly 4 tonnes of African ivory worth $3.4m, which had been found in two containers.

Smugglers used plastic and beans to conceal the ivory. Wong said the smuggling incidents did not appear to be related.

Wildlife activists blame China's growing presence in Africa for an unprecedented surge in elephant poaching, with most of the tusks believed to be smuggled to China and Thailand to make ornaments.

Authorities are investigating the latest ivory haul. No arrests have been made.