Cambodia seizes record 3 tons of illegal ivory

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodian authorities intercepted three tons of illegal ivory stashed in shipping containers in the largest such seizure ever registered in the Southeast Asian country.

Bun Chiv, a senior customs official, said the elephant tusks were seized Friday at the Sihanoukville port in southwestern Cambodia. He declined to give more details, saying the investigation was still under way.

The pro-government DAP news website reported that authorities, acting on a tip, found the tusks hidden inside containers packed with vegetable seeds. The containers had come from Malaysia, but authorities were investigating if the tusks were smuggled from Africa.

This was the third ivory seizure this year in Cambodia, which authorities believe is a stopover point to Asia’s major ivory destinations, like China and Vietnam.