Smuggled ivory seized in Vietnam

Vietnamese police have seized more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of ivory believed smuggled from abroad, state-controlled media reported on Friday. Officers arrested three Vietnamese transporting the banned cargo on Thursday in a van through the north-central province of Nghe An, the reports said. Pictures of the haul showed more than two dozen tusks. Police could not be reached for comment by AFP and it was unclear where the latest shipment was headed. Ivory seizures are reported periodically in Vietnam, where customs officials last year seized two tonnes of elephant tusks illegally imported from Kenya and destined for China, according to state-controlled media. The global ivory trade has been banned since 1989 but there has been a dramatic surge in illegal trafficking since 2005. China is one of the world's biggest markets for ivory, which is also popular in Vietnam.