Huge haul of blood-stained ivory found in 32 suitcases at Hong Kong airport

Airport customs officers have detained 15 Vietnamese nationals after a routine inspection of their luggage in the early hours of yesterday uncovered HK$7.9 million worth of ivory in 32 suitcases.

The suitcases released a strong stench when opened. Inside was 790kg of ivory that had been fashioned into raw and semi-finished products and was covered with large quantities of dried blood.

In an apparent effort to avoid detection, the men and women aged 20 to 54 had flown from Angola to Hong Kong via Ethiopia and were to have flown on to South Korea before finally reaching Cambodia.

Ng King-hong, head of Customs and Excise airport command, said the 15 transit passengers, none of whom spoke English, Cantonese or Putonghua, seemed "surprised" at being arrested.

"Hong Kong Customs has stepped up its enforcement of all contraband, including ivory," Ng said. "In this case, smuggling syndicates have tried to take advantage of the advanced aviation network."

Tom Milliken from Traffic, a network which monitors wildlife trade, said finding such a haul hidden in passengers' luggage was unprecedented.

He believed the ivory was ultimately bound for the mainland, for which Cambodia serves as a conduit for the illicit trade.