Smuggled ivory seized by Hai Phong Customs. Photo: T.Binh.

On the morning of March 20, at Nam Hai Dinh Vu port (Hai Phong), Hai Phong Customs Department coordinated with Hai Phong Police to inspect a 20-foot container containing ivory smuggled from Africa.

Hai Phong Customs Department said the unit analyzed and assessed risks for six questionable containers. Three containers declared as containing peanuts show signs of very high risk.

The shipment came from Angola, was transshipped in Singapore to conceal the shipping route; the name of the goods is described in an uncommon language and consignee information is inaccurate. This is a new and very sophisticated trick to try and evade the control of the Customs.

As soon as the goods were unloaded at the port, the Hai Phong Customs Department directed the units to conduct key supervision with a container scanner and physical inspection for the entire shipment after analyzing the questionable images.

As a result, container UACU3786863 was found to contain about seven tons of ivory, the largest amount ever found at Hai Phong port.

It is known that African ivory seized by Hai Phong Customs Department is listed on the Appendix I of CITES on the list of goods banned from import, violating the provisions of Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP dated May 15, 2018 of the Government.

The seizure shows that the initiative and efficiency in the research, information collection and identification of key shipments of Hai Phong Customs Department thwarted wildlife smuggling attempt in a timely manner and warned suspects who are intending to illegally trade or transport goods on the CITES list to Vietnam to gain illicit profits.

The customs authority is verifying and handling the case. Customs Magazine will continue to report on the case.

In February, Hai Phong Customs Department presided over to bust two cases of ivory smuggling, seizing 615kg of infringing goods.