$26m worth of elephant tusks, pangolin scales seized

Customs officers in Sabah seized RM80.5 million (S$26 million) worth of elephant tusks and pangolin scales from two shipping containers passing through Sepanggar port on Aug 29. The items are believed to have originated from Nigeria and were bound fo
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Customs officers in Sabah seized RM80.5 million (S$26 million) worth of elephant tusks and pangolin scales from two shipping containers passing through Sepanggar port on Aug 29.

The items are believed to have originated from Nigeria and were bound for China.

At a press conference in Kota Kinabalu yesterday, Customs director-general Subromaniam said the items were declared as groundnuts.

But officers found 1,148 elephant tusks weighing 3,000kg and over 5,000kg of pangolin scales hidden beneath the groundnuts.

A 43-year-old local man has been arrested.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 09, 2017, with the headline $26m worth of elephant tusks, pangolin scales seized. Subscribe