Confiscated Ivory displayed at Zurich Airport in Kloten on Tuesday, Aug. 4 , 2015. Swiss authorities say customs officials at Zurich airport have seized 262 kilograms (578 pounds) of ivory that three Chinese men had dispatched from Tanzania. Switzerland's customs authority said Tuesday that the ivory — found during a security check on July 6 and packed in eight suitcases — had an estimated black market value of about 400,000 francs (US $413,000). (Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP)
BERLIN (AP) — Customs officials at Zurich airport have seized 262 kilograms (578 pounds) of ivory that three Chinese men had dispatched from Tanzania, contraband that may have come from up to 50 elephants, Swiss authorities said Tuesday.
The ivory was found during a security check on July 6 and packed in eight suitcases, Switzerland's customs authority said. It put the estimated black market value at about 400,000 francs ($413,000).
The elephant tusks had been sawed into 172 pieces to fit into the luggage, which was being transported from Tanzania's capital, Dar es Salaam, to Beijing via Zurich. The head of the customs operation at the airport, Heinz Widmer, said officials estimate that the pieces came from 40 to 50 elephants.
Demand from China's rising middle class has been fueling elephant poaching in Africa and illegal trade in ivory, which is turned into jewelry and other decorative items.
The Chinese men were temporarily detained in Zurich and questioned, Widmer said. They could face large fines for violating customs and animal protection rules.
The suitcases also contained 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of lion fangs and claws — 21 fangs and 35 claws. They could be used as jewelry or talismans, or as a symbol for strength in Chinese traditional medicine, Widmer said.
The ivory haul, while sizeable, is below the 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) threshold considered to be a large-scale seizure that indicates the likely involvement of organized crime, according to TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring organization.
The group, which said that it doesn't speculate on the black-market value of ivory as a matter of policy, said the frequency of large-scale seizures has increased greatly since 2000, with 18 such hauls reported in 2013.
In May, a senior Chinese official made an unexpected pledge to halt the ivory trade inside the country, though it isn't clear how and when that ban might take effect.
Source: AP
6 comments:
hapa Mheshimiwa Nyalandu anatuambiaje? maana ya kwanza alikanusha
Ccm ni ukimwi wa kuotea mbali. Ccm umemaliza rasilimali zetu watanzania. Nape niambie wewe uliwhawahi kulala na njaa? Mama yangu, Shangai zangu na wajomba zangu wameifanyia serikali ya ccm kazi kwa zaidi ya miaka 30, lakini leo baada ya kustaafu? Wanalala na njaa......
kuna haja kubwa kuiondoa CCM sasa na haya ni madogo yanayokamatwa mangapi yanapotea bila maelezo.Hata aje nani nchi inaitaji UKAWA hata kwa miaka mitano tuweze kupata maendelea tuliyoyakosa kwa Zaidi ya miaka 50.
Hii ni balaa nyingine ndani ya chini ya mwaka mmoja baada ya sakata ya ESCROW na serikali imekaa kimya kama vile ilikuwa Chokolati wameonja.!! Tunaomba vyombo husika na Nyalandu ukiwa ndani waTanzania tujuzwe ni nanibhuyo ndani ya Serikali ya CCM aliyehusika yaani kabla ya kuanza pilika za uchaguzi msikae kimya. Kwani hata hapo uwanja wa ndege kuna walakini siku mzigo unapita wahusika wote walijulishwa na kama ni askari wengine waadilifu walipewa zamu upande mwingine. Nimesafiri kupitia uwanja huu kwa kweli kuna uzembe. Waangalizi kwenye mashine za scanner hawako serious wanazungumzia mpira wa nje ttuu na vicheko! Sasa musa wa kuangalia computer inakuwa kama mzaha. Nililiona hilo nilipokuwa nasafiri June 24, 15 jioninkwa KLM nilishangaa niliyoyaona. Lakini basi viongozi wapo na ndio wahusika muhimu. Uongozi wa maliasili tuambieni hao Tembo wamemalizikaje??!
hongo imepita pale uwanja wa mwl nyerere iweje wasione?sasa wahusika wafyatilie hilo jambo na kuwakaba waliokuwa kazini siku hiyo Tanzania nani katuroga,
CCM ni kifupi cha Chama cha majangili
Post a Comment