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Vietnam seizes 1 ton of ivory smuggled from Kenya

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnamese authorities have seized 1 ton of ivory smuggled from Kenya, the fifth such seizure in the past month.

The ivory was hidden in timber in two containers on the way to Cambodia via Vietnam. Customs official Le Dinh Loi says the shipment was seized Wednesday at Cat Lai port in the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.

Earlier this month, authorities seized 3.5 tons of ivory in three shipments illegally imported from Africa at the same port.

State media say 1 ton of ivory costs $1.8 million on the black market. In Hanoi, 682 pounds (309 kilograms) of ivory was seized on Oct. 1.

Elephant ivory is used as jewelry and home decorations in Vietnam, which bans hunting of its own dwindling population of elephants.

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