Tonne of ivory seized in Nairobi
An official says Kenyan police have seized about a tonne of illegal ivory destined for Nigeria at the country's main airport in Nairobi.
An official says Kenyan police have seized about a tonne of illegal ivory destined for Nigeria at the country's main airport in Nairobi.
Joseph Ngisa, the officer in charge of criminal investigations in the country's airports, said they impounded 84 elephant tusks concealed in metal containers on Thursday.
Ngisa said Friday sniffer dogs led the policemen to the containers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport's cargo hold. He said no arrests had been made.
Officials believe Kenya is a transit point for illegal ivory smuggled to Asia from several African countries.
Last month, Thailand confiscated more than 1,800 kilograms of ivory valued at $3.3 million US that had been shipped from Kenya.
Corrections
- In April, Thailand confiscated more than 1,800 kilograms of ivory valued at $3.3 million US that had been shipped from Kenya. An earlier version of this story said wrongly that 1.8 kilograms had been seized.May 06, 2011 9:25 AM ET