Four people have been arrested for allegedly smuggling about 1.2 tons of ivory into South Sudan, according to the Ministry of Wildlife.
“South Sudan will not be allowed as transit for any trade in Ivory or any product that dangers wildlife,” said Jemma Nunu, Minister of Wildlife.
The government recovered the ivory in 25 boxes, and two foreigners from Uganda and South Sudan have been arrested at the Juba International Airport, according to Khamis Adieng, spokesperson at the Ministry of Wildlife.
“It flew from Entebbe to Juba by Ethiopian airlines some days back,” Adieng said. “Our security doing their work at the airport told us that yesterday it was supposed to be flown to Egypt and later elsewhere to Malaysia,”
Adieng said the Ivory passed through the customs office at the Juba International Airport, and the boxes were declared as food items.
NOTICE OF CORRECTION: This report originally stated that 12 tons of ivory were seized in the raid. This is incorrect. The exact figure reported by authorities is “a ton and a quarter” or 1286 kg.