Ivory tusks, rhino horns seized by HK customs
Print Edition
Hong Kong customs seized an illegal shipment of ivory tusks, rhino horns and leopard skins worth more than US$5 million, officials said yesterday.
Acting on a tip-off from mainland authorities, customs officials discovered the illicit goods hidden in a cargo container at the city’s Kwai Chung terminal port. The container was officially declared to contain “red cam process wood” exported from Nigeria.
“Among the wooden blocks, we found 21 wooden crates and inside these crates, we found 1,120 ivory tusks, 13 rhino horns and five leopard skins,” ports control head Vincent Wong told reporters.
The total weight of the goods was 2,266 kilograms with an estimated value of about HK$41 million (US$5.29 million), Wong said, adding that the shipment had passed through Shanghai.
“I think Hong Kong is not the final destination. The items can be temporarily stored in Hong Kong and then when there is a buyer who can afford it, the smugglers can smuggle the goods to them,” Wong told a press conference where some of the seized objects were displayed.
No arrests were made, but anyone found guilty of trading of endangered species for commercial purposes are liable to a maximum fine of HK$5 million and imprisonment for two years.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
