Smuggled ivory haul is seized in Vietnam

Vietnamese police seized nearly three tonnes of ivory hidden among boxes of fruit yesterday, the latest haul to spotlight the country’s key role in the global wildlife smuggling trade.

Police in the central province of Thanh Hóa found 2.7 tonnes of tusks inside cartons on the back of a truck that was on its way to Hanoi.

“This is the largest seizure of smuggled ivory ever in Thanh Hóa province,” police said in a statement.

The truck driver said he was unaware of his illicit cargo.