<div>
	&nbsp;&ldquo;Officials minutely X-rayed cargo boxes and found these illicit items,&rdquo; he said, adding that this was the biggest haul this year.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	He explained that the boxes contained 281 tusks and 12 bags of pangolin scales, worth Bt38 million and Bt2 million respectively. He added that the haul had been sent out of Nigeria on December 8 and the destination was Laos.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;We closely checked the air cargo after getting a tip-off that illegal ivory traders would be transporting illicit items via airports,&rdquo; Kulis said, adding that the tusks would undergo DNA tests in a move to gather evidence against wrongdoers.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;The test will take about a month,&rdquo; he explained, adding that he expected the evidence to lead to the arrest and prosecution of the wrongdoers.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	On April 25, Thai authorities participated in an operation to intercept and seize 3,286 tonnes of ivory, which led to the arrest of 11 suspects and seizure of their assets in Kenya.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>

Large haul of tusks, pangolin scales expected to lead to arrests

The authorities confiscated Bt40 million worth of elephant tusks and pangolin scales at the Samui International Airport earlier this month, Customs Department’s director general Kulis Sombatsiri said at a press conference Friday.