Thailand seizes ivory cargo

Thailand has seized 3 tonnes of ivory hidden in tea-leaf sacks from Kenya in the second-biggest bust in the country’s history, one week after the biggest seizure, customs officials said yesterday.

The 511 elephant tusks, worth €5.5m and bound for Laos, were seized upon arrival on Saturday at a major port in Chonburi province in eastern Thailand.

The bust came after customs officials received a tip-off in Laos and Thailand and tracked the containers from Kenya, customs department director general Somchai Sujjapongse told reporters.