Singapore seizes ivory disguised as coffee berries
Singapore (AFP) - Singapore authorities said Thursday they had intercepted about one tonne of ivory worth $1.6 million in a shipping container from Africa marked as carrying coffee berries.
The seizure was made in an export inspection station at the Pasir Panjang port on March 25 following a tip-off, Singapore Customs and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a statement.
"The shipment, which was declared as coffee berries, was transiting through Singapore from Africa in a 20-foot (six-metre) container and destined for another Asian country," the statement said.
The shipment contained 106 pieces of raw ivory tusks weighing about one tonne, it said.
The statement did not mention if arrests had been made, but said investigations are ongoing.
International trade in ivory has been banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1989.
Singapore, a major global port, is a signatory to the convention.
The statement urged shipping and logistics firms in Singapore to "exercise prudence" when accepting jobs from customers to avoid being implicated in illegal wildlife trafficking.