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A large shipment of illicit ivory has been seized in Thailand after the elephant tusks were smuggled from Africa in pallets labelled as plywood furniture or notepads.
Customs authorities said Friday the 765kg of elephant tusks seized Tuesday was Thailand's third big ivory seizure this year.
The shipment was seized after the flight from Kenya arrived at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. Customs officials said it was worth $1.19 million.
Ivory shipped to Thailand typically goes to carvers who make Buddhist statues, bangles and jewellery for sale to tourists or sale in other countries. Thailand is also a transit point for other markets such as China.
Tanat Suvattanametakul, director of the cargo clearance customs bureau for the Customs Department, said officials acting on a tip had seized six pallets containing 117 elephant tusks, ranging in size up to a meter (yard) in length, and a single rhinoceros horn.
Illegal hunting of elephants in central and eastern Africa has intensified in recent years, with much of the ivory exported to Asia.
In the past five years, Thai Customs Department have confiscated 1,469 elephant tusks, weighing 6 tons.
