CHONBURI, Thailand – Thai customs officials have seized more than 3.1 tons of ivory and other wildlife remains worth an estimated 155 million baht from two shipping containers at Laem Chabang Port, uncovering a suspected international smuggling operation concealed inside processed timber shipped from Zambia. The Department of Customs announced the seizure on October 26 in cooperation with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and other agencies.
Customs officials detained two suspicious containers declared to contain 568 processed mahogany boards weighing 56,000 kilograms. An inspection revealed that 32 boards had been modified with hollow compartments, which were concealed with white wax to disguise the wildlife products inside.
The seized items included 469 pieces of whole and sectioned ivory weighing 3,042.67 kilograms, another 1,038 ivory fragments weighing 66.20 kilograms, 335 elephant tail hairs and one wildlife carcass. The total ivory weight was 3,108.87 kilograms.
Authorities are conducting DNA tests on the seized materials to establish evidence for potential legal proceedings. Investigators are also working to identify those involved and trace the wider network behind the suspected shipment. The case may involve violations of customs laws, legislation governing ivory and protected wildlife, and international obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Customs Director-General Phanthong Loykulnunt said agencies would continue coordinating efforts to prevent international wildlife trafficking and stop Thailand from being used as a transit route for illegal wildlife products. The seizure at Laem Chabang highlights the scale of the suspected trafficking operation, with investigators continuing forensic examinations and efforts to identify those responsible.
