Inspectors from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) have a seized more than a dozen ivory tusks on display at the Jaarbeurs Utrecht during the collectors exhibition. The inspection took place on the 8th and 11th of April 2015.
Over 73 prohibited ivory items were confiscated; materials which once belonged to elephants, whales and hippos. Four suspects received a police report for trading in ivory without permission.
This is not the first time ivory has been traded illegally at the Utrecht Jaarbeurs. More than hundreds of illegally traded ivory hardware have been intercepted in recent years. Traders come from all walks of life and are not always necessarily of Dutch origin.
The NVWA is active on the front against trading in ivory. One individual from South Holland was recently intercepted for selling ivory products through the internet. The merchant’s items were similarly confiscated resulting in a similar police report.