Container with 651 Tusk Pieces Headed to Dubai Discovered at Mozambique Port
Container with 651 Tusk Pieces Headed to Dubai Discovered at Mozambique Port
Atlas News
March 24, 2024
A shipping container with 651 pieces of elephant tusks en route to Dubai
was intercepted at Maputo port on the 22nd of March by Mozambique’s
Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) in conjunction with the nation’s
Tax Authority (AT).
According to local press, the tusks were hidden in the center of the
container and surrounded by bags of corn. X-rays of the container at the
port revealed the existence of the tusks and an investigation into the
owner of the container as well as the customs broker is underway.
A wildlife crime expert speaking to Mozambique Bio stated, “Based on the
photos I had access to, and given the quality of the ivory, it must be not
only from Mozambique, but also from organized crime in neighboring
countries.”
The Details:
According to the Environment Investigation Agency, Mozambique is a
‘safe-haven’ for Chinese and Vietnamese organizations involved in the ivory
trade. The country’s corruption, lack of protection of government ivory
stockpiles, lack of inter-agency cooperation, and lenient penalties for
those caught trafficking ivory, enables the illegal industry to boom in
Mozambique.
Additionally, with Dubai acting only as a transit point for ivory, the
tracing of trafficking masterminds becomes more difficult and further
complicates any attempt to crack down on poaching and trafficking from
Africa.
A document from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Climate Change
and Environment on the ‘Implementation of CITES Provisions Concerning
Ivory’ states, “There is no domestic ivory market in the UAE, therefore,
illegal ivory confiscated in the UAE is meant for transit and doesn’t
target the local market as there is no demand. It passes to other countries
with demand for ivory. Therefore, most of the ivory confiscated in the UAE
or in the country of destination passing through the UAE can be detected
with the passengers as personal belongings or air to air. Given the
internationally adopted procedures, the rule of customs and airlines in air
to air passing shipments is limited to tasks that are agreed upon
internationally to ease the flow of air traffic. Hence detecting these
illegal shipments is more successful in countries of destinations or
countries of source, as customs plays a much bigger role.”
CITES, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora, is a convention in which 184 states are members,
resulting in the regulation of trade in 38,000 species.