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.
Heinz Widmer, Chief of the custom at Zurich Airport, shows confiscated Ivory at Zurich Airport
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.
Vast haul: 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 £265,000.
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
Wanaohusika katika biashara hii haramu wanahujumu maliasili ya nchi wakiendelea hivi watamaliza tembo wote wataua utalii na ajira na biashara zote zinzohusiana na utalii. Majangili hawatutakii mema kama nchi.
ReplyDeleteHow did this pass our airport security??? Manager Taa is suppose to resign
ReplyDeleteUKAWA WATADHIBITI, ILI WATOTO WETU WAWAONE TEMBO PIA.
ReplyDeleteHII ILIPITAJE AIRPORT YA TANZANIA?
ReplyDeleteKAMA KAWAIDA YETU HILI LITAISHA HIVI HIVI BILA KIGOGO//FISADI YEYOTE KUWAJIBISHWA SABABU 'HAKUNA USHAHIDI.'
Wachache wenye roho binafsi wanataka utajiri wa haraka haraka.
ReplyDeleteKama mzigo kama huo (mabegia 8) yanaweza kupita pale airport ya Dar bila hata moja kugundulika nashauri usalama wa hapo uwanjani uangaliwe upya.
Wafuatilie hao wachinia waliyapataje hayo meno na yeyote atakayepatikana kuweka mkono wake hapo anyongwe. Hawa watu hawahitakii nchi yetu mema.
Kweli Watanzania wenzangu mtaniuwa kwa presha yaani mmeshindwa kukagua hata mabegi au ndio rushwa imetawala hapo uwanja wa ndege, ok naomba wate wanaohusika na ukaguzi waachishwee kazi mara moja kabla maliasili zetu hazijamalizwa. Pili athabu kali zianze kuchukuliwa kwa yeyote atakayekutwa na nyara za serikali, kama uliuwa mnyama na wewe uuwawe kama wafanyavyo huko China unapopatikana na madawa yakulevya. Hilo litakomesha usafirishaji wa nyara zetu
ReplyDeleteUKAWA unahitajika kwa kiasi kibwa kuikomboa nchi sidhani wizara husika azikuhusishwa ktk deal hili. Ama zilitoka juu CCM inabidi kupumzika kama UKAWA ukichukua dola utatueleza nani mwenye huu mzigo ktk serikali hii.
ReplyDelete