Chinese Man Jailed for Smuggling IvoryA Chinese citizen convicted of smuggling 123 kg of African ivory has been sentenced to six years in prison and fined 50,000 yuan (about 6,000 U.S. dollars) by the Shanghai No.1 Intermediate court.The man, surnamed Yan, was found by customs officers to be carrying 25 pieces of ivory last October at Pudong International Airport after he landed there from Benin via Mexico. Shanghai customs officials said they have uncovered 58 cases of the smuggling of ivory and products made of the banned animal part, confiscating 4,796 pieces in the past few months. Under international trade conventions and Chinese laws on wildlife protection, the trafficking of ivory and its products is prohibited without a license from the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. |
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