Page 18 - EIA Report on Tanzanian African Ivory Smuggling 2014 report

BELOW: smaller stockpiles are collated, Lines. The shipping route can then
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s usually at warehouses in industrial involve a series of transit countries,
biggest port: major exit point areas such as Changombe near the usually the United Arab Emirates and
for ivory shipments. port, but also sometimes at secluded Malaysia, before reaching important
residential plots. intermediary destinations, including
Haiphong in Vietnam, Manila in the
The contraband ivory is then either Philippines and Hong Kong. From
loaded into shipping containers if the there the illicit ivory is transhipped,
port of export is Dar es Salaam or either by sea or land, to the end
Mombasa, or it is transported to market of China.
Zanzibar to be containerised there if
that is to be the exit point. The Analysis of seizure data by EIA shows
concealment method used coincides just how often this route and method
with the usual type of freight shipped have been used over the past five years,
from Tanzania to Asia; plastic waste, with only occasional disruptions due to
agricultural products such as enforcement activities. Yet since 2013
sunflower seeds or beans, and marine there have been hopeful signs of
products such as dried fish, seaweed improved actions to tackle the ivory
or seashells. syndicates operating inside Tanzania.
In that year, more ivory was seized
On most occasions, the contraband inside Tanzania than outside for the
ivory then leaves Tanzania unhindered. first time. Also, a small group of
A network of unscrupulous freight dedicated enforcement officers from
forwarders and shipping agents ensure the police and intelligence services have
all the paperwork is completed and disrupted several networks through a
customs officials are paid off. The series of raids at addresses in Dar es
containers are loaded on board vessels Salaam and in the ports. It remains to
operated by one of the handful of be seen whether this effort will result in
shipping lines plying the route from successful prosecutions sufficient to
East Africa to East Asia, such as deter the criminal groups or whether the
CMA-CGM or Pacific International hiatus is temporary.

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