By Agence France Presse
Dutch law officials seized several elephant tusks worth tens of thousands of euros in a probe into illegal ivory smuggling, police said on Thursday.
In their latest haul, police and customs officers intercepted 85 kilogrammes (187 pounds) of ivory, valued at around 50,000 euros ($52,000) in the port city of Rotterdam.
“We are suspecting illegal organised trading in ivory,” police said, after opening a probe earlier this year.
The investigation was triggered when a postal company noted a large and suspicious package containing a wooden crate.
Inside, police found a single tusk — which had been sent for forensic analysis.
Other subsequent shipments have been intercepted, police said.
They did not say where the tusks were coming from or going to, but added environmental agents from a police team dealing with Indonesia was participating in the investigation.
