Malaysia confiscates nearly 拢750,000 of ivory tusks and pangolin scales
There have been several seizures of wildlife this year and investigators say airport staff could be involved in the illegal trade.
Wednesday 2 August 2017 10:47, UK
Ivory tusks and pangolin scales worth almost four million Malaysian ringgits (拢750,00) have been seized at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The tusks, valued at 275,000 ringgits (£48,500), had been shipped on Etihad Airways from Nigeria via Abu Dhabi on Sunday, senior customs official Mohammad Pudzi said.
In the same day, 300kg of pangolin scales worth 3.9 million ringgits (£687,709) were found, having been shipped from the Democratic Republic of Congo on Ethiopian Airlines.
Both shipments were found by officials in the airport's cargo warehouse and had been sent to fake addresses so their recipients could not be traced.
The pangolin, which resembles an armadillo, is the world's most hunted animal.
Their scales are sold in bags on the black market in Asia and are believed to have healing properties.
There have been several seizures of wildlife at Kuala Lumpur International Airport this year, and investigators said airport staff could be involved in the illegal trade.
"We don't have proof but I believe that they (trafficking syndicates) exploit our systems and procedures in these smuggling activities," Mr Pudzi said.
Around 55 elephants are poached in Africa every day, according to the World Wildlife Fund, and the majority of elephant tusks are smuggled into Asia.
Last month, what is believed to be the world's largest seizure of ivory took place in Hong Kong, when more than seven tonnes arrived in a shipping container from Malaysia.
Antique ivory produced before 1947 is still legal in the UK, but ivory sale in general is illegal.
China, the world's largest importer of ivory tusks, has promised to ban all ivory trade and processing by the end of the year.