Nagpur: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Nagpur unit, on Tuesday raided a smuggling network in Mysuru and seized three large elephant ivory tusks worth over 2 crore in the international black market.The raid led to the recovery of three curved, off-white tusks of varying sizes. While the exact weight has not been officially released, sources stated that such tusks typically weigh between 5kg and 30 kg each.At current black-market rates in India and Asia, raw elephant ivory fetches approximately 50,000 to 1,50,000 per kg, depending on quality, size and demand. This puts the potential value of the seized consignment well above 2 crore, making it a significant blow to the smugglers, said a source.India continues to serve as both a source and transit hub for illegal ivory. “Tusks poached from Asian elephants in Karnataka, Kerala and Northeast India, or smuggled from Africa, are often routed through Indian cities & ports,” said a source.It is learnt the primary destinations remain China, Vietnam, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, where ivory is carved into luxury items, ornaments and traditional artefacts despite the global CITES ban and India’s stringent Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.Sources stated DRI officials are interrogating the arrested suspects and tracing the entire supply chain, including poaching sources and international connections. “This operation highlights the DRI’s focus on combating organised wildlife crime syndicates that threaten India’s endangered Asian elephant population,” a source stated.
