Seizing more than 2 tons of smuggling ivory at Cat Lai port

Inspecting smuggled ivory at Cat Lai Port

The Dieu Tien Service and Trading Limited Liability Company is located at 66/8 Tai Thiet street, 11 Ward, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

On October 5 2016, The Dieu Tien Service and Trading Limited Liability Company opened declaration No. 101065330921/A11 import for trade. The goods were declared included 2 containers No.FCIU2873903 and ECMU1164264, total 44,50m3 (60 pieces Sapele Wood- the category not in the list of the Cites), new 100%, origin Mozambique). The shipment was classified to the Yellow channel (for examination of the dossier).

After receiving the dossier, the officers of the Import Cargo Customs Procedures Team reported to the Leader of Customs Branch for the direction of the HCMC Customs Department and secretly proposed physical inspection of the shipment by scanning the 2 containers.

As a result of the sceening inspection, Customs detected 12 blocks of wood hollowed, screwed and sealed, so inspection of the shipment was undertaken. The Customs officers and loaders used hammer and crowbar to demolish the blocks of wood and dectected inside items suspected as ivory. When inspected the first fourth blocks of wood, found 115 pieces, weighing about over 500kg suspected as ivory.

Hence, the Sai Gon Sea port Customs Branch of region 1 collaborated with the Customs Enforcement Team (HCMC Customs Department), the Police Department of Anti-smuggling investigation (C74)-Ministry of Public Security implemented inspecting all shipments. At 12 p.m, on October 6, they finished the inspection and found hundreds of pieces of suspected ivory, weighing more than 2 tons.

The Department has invited the Ecology Institue under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for verification all the shipments on name of goods, category, size in accordance with the provisions of the law and Cites.

Currently, the functional forces are continuing the investigation to clarify the case.

Customs News will continue provide the information of this case.