Officers seal off ivory smuggling channel

Customs officers from Guangdong province and Hong Kong seized 10 pieces of African ivory, weighing 323.7 kilograms, after cracking down on a major smuggling operation.

Seventeen suspects, including six Hong Kong residents, were detained for further investigation, according to Ma Dongsheng, a senior customs officer with the anti-smuggling bureau of Shenzhen Customs.

"A major smuggling channel that used to be active in smuggling African ivory to the mainland has been destroyed after a major smuggling gang was busted during the operation," Ma told a news conference on Thursday.