XIAMEN, Nov. 23 -- Customs officers in the eastern Chinese city of Xiamen confiscated 57 elephant tusks smuggled from Africa, local authorities said Monday.

"It is the largest confiscation of smuggled elephant tusks by Chinese customs this year," said a spokesperson from Xiamen customs.

The tusks, weighing around 119 kilograms, are worth nearly 8.2 million yuan (1.3 million U.S. dollars).

They were placed in three bags and hidden in a container filled with timber imported from Uganda.

A suspect surnamed Huang said he purchased the elephant tusks in Uganda this June at a price of 300 U.S. dollars per kg. He was attempting to smuggle them to south China's Guangdong Province for processing and sale.

Huang was detained by police. Further investigation is under way.

In early November, police in east China's Jiangxi Province seized more than 600 kilograms of illegal ivory and ivory products after a one-year crackdown. The seizure was worth an estimated 22 million yuan.

China has intensified efforts against illegal wildlife trafficking.Anyone involved in the illegal ivory business can be given prison sentences from six months to life.