SEEJ-AFRICA THUMBNAIL:
- On July 21, 2019, and acting on Chinese intelligence, Singapore customs searched 3 containers enroute to Haiphong, Vietnam, from Matadi, Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The 3 containers, declared variously as tiama wood, conifer timber and wood chips, was found to contain 8.8 tonnes of ivory and 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales.
- After Chinese investigation, seven nationals were charged and convicted to a total of 63 years jail and $USD 522,000 in fines between them.
- DNA analysis indicated that much of the ivory was from the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area but had connections to previous East African shipments.

FILE | The court of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China - 2020. Seven Chinese nationals were charged and convicted. |
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SEIZURE DATE | July 21st, 2019 |
LOCATION | Singapore |
LISTED DESTINATION | Haiphong, Vietnam |
SEIZED WEIGHT | IVORY - 8800 kg |
SEIZED DESCRIPTION | In three containers |
OTHER CONTRABAND | PANGOLIN SCALES - 11,900 kg |
POINT OF ORIGIN | Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo |
POINT OF ORIGIN DNA | The majority of tusks were from KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area |
TRANSIT POINTS | Matadi, DRC; Pointe Noire, Congo |
VALUE | Ivory - USD $12.9 million; Pangolin - USD $35.7 million |
COVER LOAD | Timber |
DECLARED AS | tiama (Entandrophragma spp) wood, conifer timber and wood chips |
EXPORTER CONSIGNOR | 'Tiger' Ma Jilin |
IMPORTER CONSIGNEE | Zheng Jilin, Song Jincong, Tong Zhijian, Lu Kun, Sun Xilu She Ziting, Song Jinhang |
CLEARING AGENT FREIGHT FOWARDER | Unknown |
SHIPPING AGENT | Unknown |
SHIPPING LINE_SHIPS | Unknown |
CONTAINERS/MODE OF TRANSPORT | 3 containers |
ASSOCIATED VEHICLES | Unknown |
CONNECTIONS | The ivory was believed to have been supplied by the West African cartel to both Vietnamese and Chinese interests. |

Singapore seizes record haul of smuggled elephant ivory
Agence France-Presse in Singapore
Tue 23 Jul 2019 Last modified on Tue 23 Jul 2019 10.01 BST
Singapore has made its largest ever seizure of smuggled ivory, impounding a haul of nearly nine tonnes of contraband tusks from an estimated 300 elephants, according to authorities.
The illegal cargo, discovered on Sunday in a container from the Democratic Republic of the Congo also included a huge stash of pangolin scales – the third such seizure in as many months.
Officials said both the ivory and pangolin scales were in a container declared to be loaded with timber destined for Vietnam and passing through Singapore, a major transhipment hub for global trade.
On inspection, authorities found 8.8 tonnes of elephant ivory, the national parks board, customs and immigration and checkpoints authority said in a joint statement.
It said the ivory haul was valued at $12.9m (£10.4m) and was the largest seizure of elephant ivory in Singapore to date, and was estimated to have come from 300 African elephants.
Also found in the container were 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales estimated to be worth about $35.7m. The scales were estimated to have come from 2,000 of the mammals.
It brought the total haul of pangolin scales since April to 37.5 tonnes, worth $112.5m…………..