This is the largest ever seizure of smuggled tusks in Hai Phong. (Photo: VNA)

Hai Phong – Task forces in the northern port city of Hai Phong seized about 7 tonnes of tusks hidden in a container arriving at Nam Dinh Vu Port from Africa on March 20, according to the General Department of Customs.

It is one of the three containers departing from Angola and transiting in Singapore, declared to contain peanuts.

This is the largest ever seizure of smuggled tusks in Hai Phong, the agency said, adding that the case is under further investigation.

The items are included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants.

The trading of elephant tusks has been banned in Vietnam since 1992, with violators fined from 5-50 million VND (213.2 – 2,132 USD) or imprisoned from six months to five years.