TAIPEI: Customs officials at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport confiscated 5.6kg of undeclared raw elephant ivory that was brought into the nation by a Taiwanese woman returning from Hong Kong here the other day.
The woman, who arrived at the airport on a Cathay Pacific flight, was carrying 120 pieces of raw ivory hidden inside peanut candy packages in her checked luggage, the Taipei Customs Office said.
Such ivory is usually used to make name stamps, the office said, adding that the 5.6kg of ivory was confiscated because its import violates the Wildlife Conservation Act.
Violators face between six months and five years in prison and a fine of between NT$300,000 and NT$1.5 million (US$9,584 and US$47,920), the customs office said.
The woman said she was unaware of the law and had been asked by a friend to bring the packages to Taiwan.
According to Article 24 of the act, the import or export of live wildlife or protected wildlife products is not allowed without approval.
Furthermore, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the import or export of protected wildlife species or products requires prior approval by the Council of Agriculture, an export permit or certificate issued by the country of origin and an import permit issued by Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade.
