Malaysian authorities have seized elephant tusks and pangolin scales from Africa worth almost a million dollars. The contraband items was found in two separate raids in the cargo terminal of Kuala Lumpur’s main international airport over the weekend.
Senior customs official, Pudzi Man said In the first raid, authorities found 23 ivory tusks, weighing 75.7 kilograms (167 pounds) with an estimated value of 275,000 ringgit ($64,150). “Customs officers seized two boxes which contained a large quantity of elephant tusks. The tusks had been sent from Nigeria, and the cargo was listed as food items’, he said.
Separately, officials found six sacks containing 300.9 kilograms (663 pounds) of pangolin scales worth 3.86 million ringgit ($900,500), said Pudzi.
So far, no arrests have yet been made over the seizures,but it is a well known fact that Elephant tusks are in high demand in parts of Asia, especially China and Vietnam, where the ivory is prized for decorative purposes and in traditional medicine.
