Customs and security personnel at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport were yesterday once again successful in intercepting a shipment of ivory carvings which were destined for Malaysia. From reports at hand, the cargo was delivered at the airport in several boxes, due to be shipped with a Turkish Airlines flight from Nairobi via Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur, weighing nearly a quarter of a ton. When the 12 boxes were routinely scanned for security purposes, some of the images appeared suspect, and the cargo was separated and then opened for closer inspection.
Airport officials regularly arrest travelers in transit carrying ivory purchased in other African countries when their baggage is scanned before being loaded to the next flight, and regular sniffer dog patrols at JKIA as well as improved technology have helped to unearth contraband carried by passengers to a greater extent than in the past. The value of the confiscated ivory carvings was given as over 30 million Kenya shillings, and investigations are now underway to find the source of the ivory, the shippers, and the recipients in Malaysia.
