Vietnam Seizes Nearly 1.2 Tonnes Of Ivory Hidden Inside Timber Logs

Vietnamese police have seized nearly 1.2 tonnes of ivory at Quy Nhon Port after finding elephant tusks hidden inside 12 hollowed-out timber logs and covered with wax. Authorities also found about 80kg of animal bones. The seizure highlights Vietnam’s role as a transit point for illegal wildlife trafficking and the continued threat to protected species under CITES.

Vietnamese authorities have seized nearly 1.2 tonnes of elephant ivory at Quy Nhon Port in Gia Lai province after discovering the tusks concealed inside hollowed-out timber logs.
The 1,193-kilogram shipment, which arrived from the Republic of the Congo on July 9, was found inside 12 timber logs that had been deliberately hollowed out to conceal sawn elephant tusks. Authorities said the ivory had also been disguised with wax in an apparent attempt to evade detection.
Police also discovered approximately 79.3 kilograms of animal bones, believed to have come from large cats.
A criminal investigation has been launched into the shipment.

SOPHISTICATED METHODS USED TO HIDE IVORY

The discovery highlights the increasingly elaborate methods used by wildlife trafficking networks to move protected animal products across international borders.
Instead of simply hiding the ivory among ordinary cargo, traffickers allegedly concealed the tusks inside timber that had been hollowed out and then used wax to further disguise the shipment.
Such methods can make illegal wildlife products harder to identify during routine cargo inspections.
The case also demonstrates why authorities increasingly rely on intelligence-led inspections, scanners and physical searches to identify suspicious shipments.

VIETNAM HAS SEEN MAJOR IVORY SEIZURES

The Quy Nhon seizure is not an isolated case.
In March 2023, Vietnamese customs officials seized about seven tonnes of elephant tusks at Nam Hai Dinh Vu Port in Hai Phong. The shipment had originated in Angola, passed through Singapore and was declared as containing peanuts. Authorities described it as the largest ivory seizure recorded in Hai Phong at the time.
The following year, authorities at Lach Huyen Port in Hai Phong seized another 1,580 kilograms of African ivory. The 547 pieces of ivory had reportedly been painted black and hidden alongside cow horns, another indication of the increasingly sophisticated concealment techniques used by traffickers.
These previous cases provide important context for the latest seizure at Quy Nhon.

ELEPHANT AND BIG-CAT PRODUCTS FOUND

Authorities identified the ivory as belonging to the Elephantidae family, which includes elephants.
The other bones were identified as belonging to the Felidae family, which includes cats and big-cat species.
Both groups are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which regulates international trade in threatened wildlife and their products.
Vietnam has banned the trade in elephant tusks since 1992, although the country remains an important transit point and market in the illegal wildlife trade.

VIETNAM’S ROLE IN THE WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING NETWORK

Vietnam's extensive network of ports and its position along major Asian trading routes have made the country an important transit point for wildlife trafficking.
Illegal shipments have included ivory, pangolin scales, rhinoceros horns and other protected animal products. Some of the wildlife products are believed to be destined for markets elsewhere in Asia, including China.
The repeated seizures also show that trafficking networks continue to adapt despite international restrictions and domestic laws.

THE HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL COST

Behind every large ivory seizure is a much bigger conservation crisis.
Elephants are killed for their tusks, often leaving young animals without their mothers and weakening already threatened populations.
The trafficking of big-cat parts also places additional pressure on vulnerable wildlife species.
For conservation authorities, therefore, seizures are important not only because they prevent illegal products from reaching their destination, but because they can also provide evidence that helps investigators identify the wider networks financing and organising the trade.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Vietnamese authorities are investigating the origin of the shipment, its intended destination and the individuals or organisations responsible for transporting the protected wildlife products.
The latest case is the largest ivory seizure ever recorded at Quy Nhon Port, although previous seizures at other Vietnamese ports have involved substantially larger quantities.
The discovery adds to a growing record of major wildlife seizures in Vietnam and highlights the continuing international effort to disrupt trafficking networks that profit from endangered animals.