The Wenzhou customs house in east China's Zhejiang Province Monday cracked a case involving smuggled ivory and crocodile skin after one month's investigation.
The smuggled goods were worth two million yuan (US$241 thousand).
On Dec. 26, 2002, the customs house discovered a total of 92 items made from African ivory, including carvings, chopsticks, a bracelet, necklace and tobacco pipe plus a piece of crocodile skin, all in a container imported from Cameroon.
Police interrogated the container owner surnamed Ye, who said one of his Chinese friends in Cameroon had asked him to send the items to China. The person who was to receive the smuggled goods was the brother of his friend, Ye said.
All suspects have been arrested.
According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), both African ivory, ivory products and crocodile skin enjoy top-level protection.
China joined the convention in 1981 and it came into effect in the country in April of that year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 22, 2003)
