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Illegal ivory products seized at Sea-Tac Airport

Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

A husband and wife who had prohibited ivory products in their luggage were stopped at Sea-Tac Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.

Earlier this month, the two had just arrived on a flight from the Philippines when CBP agriculture specialists were performing routine checks and discovered something in one of the couple’s bags as it went through X-ray, CBP officials said.

Officials said agriculture specialists found 34 pieces of carved elephant ivory, two carved hippopotamus tusks and two carved warthog tusks.

The specialist contacted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors, who checked out and seized the items, officials said.

Because the couple was in violation of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), they were fined $500 for transporting the items, CBP officials said.

CITES is said to be an international agreement between governments, and its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

There are more than 35,000 species of animals and plants with varying degrees of protection under CITES, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs, according to the agency’s website.

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