A large shipment of illicit ivory which was smuggled from Mozambique was seized by the Thai customs in pallets labeled as personal use property, director of the Customs Department unveiled Thursday.


Customs Department officials inspect seized elephant tusks in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 6, 2010. A number of 69 pieces of grade-A ivory from Mozambique has been confiscated by Thai Customs Department on Wednesday at an international airport on a plane which was scheduled to fly to Laos. The value of the confiscated goods is nearly 365,000 US Dollars. (Xinhua/Rachen sageamsak)
Director-General of the Customs Department Utid Tamwatin said the 435 kg of elephant tusks were packed in two pallets en route for Laos and officials acting on a tip-off seized them on Wednesday.


According to the Director-General, 73 pieces of the ivory was worth approximately 10 million baht (331,000 U.S. dollars).


The import of elephant tusk is prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as well as Thailand's Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act B.E. 2535.


VietNamNet/Xinhuanet