Customs officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City confiscated four kilograms of ivory and three sets of leopard skin, amongst other animal parts, from the luggage of a female passenger on Sunday.

All items were from endangered animals listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, according to airport customs.

The confiscated parts included four kilograms of sliced ivory pieces, nine elephant tails, a range of claws, and three sets of African leopard skin, estimated to be worth a total of over VND2 billion (US$90,000) on the black market.

They were found stashed in the luggage of a 62-year-old Vietnamese woman who had traveled from Africa.

The trafficked items have been seized as evidence while the woman is detained for further questioning.

Elephant tails confiscated from the luggage of a Vietnamese woman at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, May 14, 2017. Photo: TSN Customs

Over the past month, Tan Son Nhat Airport customs officers have discovered three cases of wildlife trafficking with a total street value in excess of VND10 billion ($450,000).

Six and a half kilograms of black rhino horns and over four kilograms of products made from ivory and pangolin scales have been impounded in these cases, customs confirmed.

In accordance with Vietnamese law, the import of elephant ivory, as with all animals protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), is strictly prohibited.

Sliced elephant ivory pieces confiscated from the luggage of a Vietnamese woman at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, May 14, 2017. Photo: TSN Customs

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