ICA officers open Indonesian ship crew's thermal flask, find elephant ivory tusk

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers "unbottled" an Indonesian ship crew member's thermal flask at PSA Keppel Entrance Crew Office on Aug 9, and found a nearly 28cm-long elephant ivory task in it, instead of water.

Revealing the smuggling attempt in a Facebook post on Thursday (Sept 10) evening, ICA said the 30-year-old Indonesian was returning home and transiting through Singapore.

He was directed to undergo baggage checks and asked if he had any items to declare, to which he replied in the negative.

But anomalies were found in his baggage scan and he was directed to undergo a thorough check.

There, ICA's search and examination officers found an elephant ivory tusk hidden in a modified tumbler that was in his baggage.

The crew member was arrested and the case referred to the National Parks Board (NParks) for further investigation.

Under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, individuals convicted of offences involving illegal trade such as elephant ivory, could face a fine of up to $100,000 per specimen, imprisonment of up to six years, or both.

The same penalties apply to those found guilty of transiting or transhipping species of wildlife, including their parts and derivatives, listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Reiterating its zero-tolerance against wildlife smuggling, ICA said it will continue working closely with NParks to combat the illegal wildlife trade.

It also urged the community to do its part by ensuring that purchases do not contain animal or plant parts of endangered species, and by not contributing to the demand for the illegal trade of wildlife.

8月9日，移民与关卡局（ICA）官员在PSA吉宝入口船员办公室“打开”了一名印尼船员的保温瓶，发现里面装的不是水，而是一根近28厘米长的象牙棒。

新加坡移民与关卡局 (ICA) 于周四（9 月 10 日）晚间在 Facebook 上发帖披露了这起偷渡未遂事件，称这名 30 岁的印尼人正准备回国，途经新加坡。

他被要求接受行李检查，并被问及是否有任何物品需要申报，他回答说没有。

但他的行李扫描结果显示存在异常，因此他被要求接受彻底检查。

移民与关卡局的搜查和检查人员在他的行李中一个改装过的玻璃杯里发现了一根象牙。

该船员已被逮捕，案件已移交国家公园局（NParks）进行进一步调查。

根据《濒危物种（进出口）法》，被判犯有涉及象牙等非法贸易罪行的个人，可能面临每件标本最高 10 万美元的罚款、最高 6 年的监禁，或两者并罚。

对于被判犯有运输或转运《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》所列野生动植物物种（包括其部分和衍生物）罪行的人，适用同样的处罚。

ICA重申对野生动物走私零容忍，并表示将继续与国家公园局密切合作，打击非法野生动物贸易。

它还敦促社区尽自己的一份力，确保购买的商品不包含濒危物种的动物或植物部分，并且不要助长对野生动物非法贸易的需求。