Hai Phong customs officials found and seized more than 2.2 tonnes of elephant tusks smuggled into Viet Nam from Mozambique yesterday.

The tusks arrived at Tan Vu Port in the northern coastal Hai Phong City on November 29. They were sent by an enterprise in Mozambique to Ha Linh Import-Export JSC in the city.

The goods were said to be 380 packages of beans on the cargo bill.

After quick investigation, the customs officials found that the Hai Phong-based company had no trade contract with the foreign enterprise in Mozambique.

The officials, in co-operation with the local police, inspected the goods and found that 835 parts of elephant tusks, weighing more than 2.2 tonnes, were hidden inside packages of beans.

Tests conducted by the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources showed the tusks were of African elephants.

The police are investigating the case.

Elephants are endangered species and are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. International trade of elephant tusks is illegal in Viet Nam.

VNS