Malaysia: Bid to smuggle elephant tusks worth RM2.4mil foiled

The Star 10 Jan 12;

PORT KLANG: The Selangor Customs Department has foiled an international syndicate’s attempt to smuggle about half a tonne of elephant tusks worth RM2.4mil into the country.

State Customs director Datuk Azis Yacub said his officers discovered the tusks last Friday when inspecting a shipping container, which had been put down in the declaration form as carrying polyester and nylon strand matting.

“After checking the container, which was shipped from South Africa, the Customs officers found the tusks stashed in 53 television boxes.

“The boxes were kept at the back of the container along with some used tyres.

“So far, we have not made any arrest as we are currently investigating the company involved in handling the goods and its modus operandi,” he told reporters at the state Customs Department here yesterday.

Azis said it was rare for a syndicate to try to smuggle tusks into the country, adding that Malaysian ports were usually used as a transit point.

Last year, there were four attempts by syndicates to smuggle ele- phant tusks into the country, the biggest of which was worth RM4mil involving 15 tonnes of tusks and ivory handicraft at West Port here.

Elephant tusks seized
G. Surach New Straits Times 10 Jan 12;

AN attempt by an international syndicate to smuggle in 500kg of elephant tusks worth RM2.4 million through West Port was foiled by Customs officers yesterday.

Selangor Customs director Datuk Azis Yacub said enforcement officers seized a container, which arrived from Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday.

On inspection, they discovered African elephant tusks in 53 television set boxes.

"The goods were declared as polyester and nylon strand matting in the ship's bill of lading.

"The boxes were kept at the back of the container along with some used tyres."

It is believed to be the first attempt to smuggle elephant tusks into the country. Previously, the country's ports were used as transit points to ship such goods from Africa to Far East countries.

Azis believed that locals were involved in the syndicate. He said they were investigating a local forwarding company.

"We are investigating the method of operation of the syndicate because the smuggled goods were meant for local use, contrary to the previous notion that local ports serve as a transit point to avoid direct shipment of these illegal goods," he said, adding that no arrests had been made so far.

He said they would send the tusks to the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) once their investigations were completed. The case is being investigated for false declaration and smuggling.

It was reported that Perhilitan said it would intensify investigations under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 and the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008.

Azis urged the public to inform the Customs Department of any suspected smuggling via their toll-free line 1-800-88-8855.

Meanwhile, in Butterworth, Customs officers arrested a local man who attempted to smuggle 11.55kg of syabu into the country at the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas on Sunday.

State department director Datuk Zulkifli Yahya yesterday said the man, in his 40s, was detained on arrival from Guangzhou.

Officers from the department's narcotics enforcement division inspected the man's luggage after sensing something was amiss based on images obtained from the luggage scanner.

"Their suspicion was proven right when they found five boxes containing the syabu with a street value about RM2.88 million."

Additional reporting by Adie Suri Zulkefli

Malaysia seizes half a tonne of ivory
TRAFFIC 9 Jan 12;

Port Klang, Malaysia, 9th January 2012—Malaysian Customs Department in Port Klang has seized close to half a tonne of ivory exported from Cape Town, South Africa; the third ivory seizure at this port in just over six months.

Malaysia was listed as the final destination, making this an unusual development, as in all previous large ivory seizures in Malaysian ports, Malaysia was simply a transshipment point for the smuggled ivory.

The 492 kg of tusks were individually bubble-wrapped and then packed in cardboard boxes. The boxes were hidden in a container filled with used tyres and flooring material. The shipment was falsely declared as polyester and nylon strand matting.

The shipping manifest listed a Malaysian company as importer and Port Klang as the final destination, Selangor State Customs Director Dato’ Azis Yacub told reporters at a press conference today.

“Although this is a small seizure, many elephants were needlessly killed,” Azis said.

“Our investigations will now focus on why Malaysia is being used as an end destination,” he added.

There have been no arrests resulting from the seizure which took place on 6th January in West Port, a major container port in the Port Klang complex.

However, Azis said a shipping agent was being questioned in connection with the case. The seizure itself is being investigated under Malaysian Customs Act as a case of fraud.

Under the Customs Act 1967, those found guilty of using fraud to smuggle prohibited goods into the country are liable to a fine between 10 and 20 times the value of the smuggled goods or a maximum three years in jail, or both.

Malaysian Customs made four other sensational ivory seizures in 2011, collectively weighing a total of some six tonnes. These represent the largest haul of ivory ever recorded in Malaysia and served to confirm the country as a primary transit country for illegal trade on to end-use markets in China and Thailand.

In December, TRAFFIC called 2011 the worst year for ivory seizures as it saw a record number of large ivory seizures globally, weighing an estimated 23 tonnes and representing more than 2,500 elephants. There has been a sharp rise in illegal ivory trade since 2007.

Although official confirmation of the volume of ivory involved in some cases has not yet been registered, what is clear is the dramatic increase in the number of large-scale seizures, over 800 kg in weight, that took place in 2011—at least 13 of them.

A conservative estimate of the weight of those seizures in 2011 puts the figure at more than 23 tonnes, a figure that probably represents some 2,500 elephants, possibly more.

This compares to six large-scale seizures globally in 2010, whose total weight was just under 10 tonnes.

“Malaysia has ramped-up its efforts to stem ivory smuggling through the country and that’s great news, now thorough diligent investigations both in Malaysia and South Africa, arrests and prosecutions must follow,” said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Senior Programme Officer Kanitha Krishnasamy.

“Other countries in the region should also be on alert because as enforcement increases in Malaysia, smugglers will adapt and seek other transshipping routes within the region,” she added.