Thai customs seize illegal haul of 296 ivory tusks

Yahoo News 21 Apr 10;

BANGKOK (AFP) – Thai authorities said Wednesday they have seized a massive ivory haul worth 2.2 million dollars, confiscating 296 tusks sent from Qatar to Bangkok international airport.

The customs department said they acted on a tip-off to discover the tusks Saturday in a shipment declared as "printing metal", bound for a Thai company based in the capital.

A customs official said the elephant tusks, weighing 1,390 kilos (3,058 pounds) and valued at 70 million baht (2.2 million dollars), most likely originated from southern Africa.

The case is under investigation and no arrests have been made as yet, the official said. The shipment is illegal under international laws that ban the trafficking of endangered species and their products.