Abundance of ivory among scrap plastic

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

A large quantity of ivory was taken into custody by Customs officials recently at the Colombo harbour while being transported to Dubai from Kenya by ship.

Customs Central Intelligences Division Director DN Rajarathne said the haul was concealed in large bags with scrap plastic.

"There is no provision to take legal action against any suspects other than confiscation, since the ivory has not been sent to Sri Lanka, as the destination of the cargo was Dubai. It has been reported that ivory is being transported to Dubai from Kenya via Colombo," Rajarathne added.