Man jailed for trying to smuggle ivory tusk into Singapore in thermos flask

The 30-year-old ship crew member repeatedly claimed that the object was a cigar-shaped apparatus made of plastic and used for smoking.

The elephant ivory tusk and the modified thermos flask it was concealed in. (Photo: National Parks Board)

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SINGAPORE:A 30-year-old Indonesian man was sentenced to eight weeks’ jail on Thursday (Sep 10) after he was caught attempting to smuggle an elephant ivory tusk into Singapore, said the National Parks Board (NParks).

Hafiludin, a crew member, was caught on Aug 9 with the 550g tusk concealed in a thermos flask.

The vessel he was working on entered Singapore on Aug 8, and he disembarked with his luggage at about 12.15pm the next day, court documents showed.

Singapore was his last port of call before he was due to return home to Indonesia, and he was required to enter Singapore through the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's Keppel Entrance Crew office at 35 Keppel Road for his official sign-off.

During a routine X-ray security screening, officers flagged the thermos flask in his luggage. They checked his baggage and found a sharp, pointed object resembling an ivory tusk inside.

When questioned, Hafiludin repeatedly claimed that the object was a cigar-shaped apparatus made of plastic and used for smoking.

The matter was then referred to NParks for further investigation.

A close-up view of the modification of the thermos flask done by the accused. (Photo: National Parks Board)

According to court documents, Hafiludin had bought the tusk months earlier from a travelling merchant who boarded his vessel in Lagos, Nigeria, in late December 2025.

Hafiludin bought one for US$150 (S$190), intending to give it to his father.

Knowing that it was an offence to possess ivory without the relevant permits in Singapore, he concealed the tusk in a thermos flask and placed it in his luggage.

As the approximately 27cm-long tusk did not fit inside the flask, Hafiludin sawed off the flask's external casing to accommodate it.

Laboratory testing confirmed that it came from an African elephant, although its exact species could not be determined.

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), all African elephants are listed as Loxodonta africana.

The tusk was therefore an Appendix I specimen under Singapore's Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 2006.

Hafiludin did not have the required permits or licences to import the tusk into Singapore.

Hafiludin was convicted of one count of importing a scheduled species under Section 4(1)(a) of the Act.

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这名 30 岁的船员反复声称，该物体是一个雪茄状的塑料装置，用于吸烟。

象牙和用来藏匿象牙的改装保温瓶。（图片：国家公园管理局）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：国家公园局（NParks）周四（9月10日）表示，一名30岁的印尼男子因试图走私象牙进入新加坡而被捕，被判处8周监禁。

8月9日，船员哈菲鲁丁被抓获，当时他将一根重550克的象牙藏在一个保温瓶里。

法庭文件显示，他所工作的船只于 8 月 8 日进入新加坡，他于第二天下午 12 点 15 分左右带着行李下船。

新加坡是他返回印度尼西亚之前的最后一站，他必须通过吉宝路 35 号的吉宝入境处工作人员办公室进入新加坡，以办理正式的离境手续。

在例行X光安检中，安检人员注意到他行李中的保温瓶。他们检查了他的行李，发现里面有一个尖锐的物体，类似象牙。

当被问及时，哈菲鲁丁反复声称该物体是一个雪茄状的塑料装置，用于吸烟。

随后，此事被移交国家公园局作进一步调查。

这是被告对保温瓶进行改装的特写镜头。（图片：国家公园管理局）

根据法庭文件，哈菲鲁丁几个月前从一名旅行商人手中购买了这根象牙，该商人于 2025 年 12 月下旬在尼日利亚拉各斯登上了他的船。

哈菲鲁丁花了 150 美元（190 新元）买了一个，打算送给他的父亲。

他知道在新加坡没有相关许可证持有象牙是违法行为，于是将象牙藏在保温瓶里，然后放在行李中。

由于这根大约 27 厘米长的象牙放不进烧瓶里，哈菲鲁丁便锯掉了烧瓶的外壳来装它。

实验室检测证实它来自非洲象，但无法确定其具体种类。

根据《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》（CITES），所有非洲象都被列为 Loxodonta africana。

因此，根据新加坡 2006 年《濒危物种（进出口）法》，这根象牙属于附录一标本。

哈菲鲁丁没有将象牙进口到新加坡所需的许可证或执照。

哈菲鲁丁因违反该法第 4(1)(a) 条进口受管制物种的罪名被定罪。

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