Illegal ivory shipment seized, second in a week

Around 2 metric tons of ivory hidden in a timber shipment has been seized in Vietnam, an official said on Friday, the second large haul of the illegally-trafficked product in a week.

Although the ivory trade is banned in Vietnam, the country remains a top market for ivory products prized locally for decorative and medicinal purposes. It is also a busy thoroughfare for tusks trafficked from Africa destined for other parts of Asia.

The latest ivory haul was discovered at a Ho Chi Minh City port in two crates of timber from Mozambique, customs official Vo Thanh Hung told AFP.