3.2 Tons of Ivory and 423 Kg of Pangolin Scales Seized through EU Support
Illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest global criminal market after illicit drugs, counterfeit goods and human trafficking. The Cross-Regional Wildlife Conservation in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean project, funded by the European Union, is among other, working to support anti-trafficking efforts throughout the region. This programme is funding the Container Control Programme (CCP), developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Customs Organization (WCO), through which the Uganda customs recently seized 750 pieces of elephant ivory and 423 Kg of pangolin scales in Kampala, Uganda.
The elephant tusks and pangolin scales were being smuggled into the country. The seizure also resulted in the arrest of four suspects. The smuggled goods were mingled and stuck within candle wax, fitted within molded woods of timber and concealed in nine logs.
The Cross-regional Wildlife Conservation programme in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean is a €30 million prorgamme working to support anti-trafficking efforts, enforcing wildlife law and cross-border collaboration in selected transboundary ecosystems and promoting the establishment and sustainable management of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs).
With the financial support of the European Union, the Ugandan Government is also establishing a profiling unit at the Entebbe International Airport.