Authorities in Thailand have intercepted more than 300 kilogrammes of ivory from Malawi on flights at Bangkok’s main airport.
The latest haul of some 422 pieces of elephant tusks highlights the extensive international links of wildlife gangs.
Authorities in Thailand announced the seizure on Tuesday, underscoring that country’s continued role as a regional smuggling hub.
A statement issued by the Customs Department in Thailand said packages stuffed with ivory weighing 330 kilogrammes, were discovered on two Ethiopian Airline flights from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The statement added that the parcels were coming from Malawi’s Capital City, Lilongwe.
“A Gambian man, who went to collect the packages on Sunday, was arrested and charged with smuggling banned wildlife products.
“The international trade in ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since the late 1980s after a precipitous decline in the population of African elephants. But that has not stopped criminal gangs seeking to exploit the continued demand for the material in Asia,” part of the statement reads.
Director in the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Brighton Kumchedwa has confirmed the development and said his department is investigating the matter.
However, Kumchedwa said it is not known whether the elephants whose ivory has been confiscated were from Malawi.
“We are on the ground with assistance from officials at Kamuzu International Airport to get to the root of this matter. Meanwhile, we cannot give you more details for fear of jeopardising the investigations,” Kumchedwa said.
Tusks and other body parts of elephants are prized for decoration as talismans and for use in traditional medicine across parts of Asia.
Thailand’s government has vowed to crack down the trade.
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