Kenya’s revenue authority said it’s searching for suspects after the seizure in Singapore of two containers of ivory and wildlife products.
The containers were shipped from Kilindini harbor in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa on April 6 and was seized in Singapore on Tuesday, the Kenya Revenue Authority said in an e-mailed statement Wednesday. The cargo was destined for Thailand and Vietnam, it said.
A port officer who handled the shipment has been suspended and the roles of other port-based KRA staff are being evaluated, the authority said. The directors of the exporting company are being sought for questioning after absconding, it said.
Poachers killed 164 elephants in Kenya last year, compared with 302 in 2013 and 384 in 2012, while 53 rhinos were killed in 2014 compared with 59 and 30 in the previous two years, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service.