A Vietnamese couple who were trying to smuggle 105 kgs of African ivory worth USD 500,000 to Cambodia via Bangkok have been arrested, Thai Customs officials said today.
Officials said they had seized the smuggled ivory from the couple in the form of 23 carved pieces of African elephant tusks in their four carry-on suitcases.
Pham Ngoc Tuan and his wife Pham Thi Kim Chi were arrested yesterday at Suvarnabhumi Airport when they arrived on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Luanda, Angola's capital.
"This is the first time we've arrested Asians being used to smuggle in African ivory to Asia," Customs Department deputy director-general Yuttana Yimgurund was quoted as saying by 'Bangkok Post'.
He said in past ivory smuggling attempts usually used African nationals as the traffickers.
The couple may face a maximum jail sentences of four years if found guilty of smuggling and trading in endangered species.
Thailand is a well-known transit point for ivory for buyers in China or Vietnam where it is used in medicines and ornaments.
