1.4 tonnes of elephant tusks seized in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan customs officials say they have seized about 1.4 tonnes of elephant tusks in the largest ever such seizure in the country.

Udaya Liyanage, a customs official, says the tusks were being transported through the capital, Colombo, in a container that arrived from Kenya and was bound for Dubai. The container was stopped at Colombo's port on May 14.

Liyanage says intelligence reports were analyzed and the container was opened Tuesday. Customs officials found 359 ivory tusks, weighing about 1.4 tonnes.

Liyanage said Wednesday that the agents for the container had declared that it contained scrapped plastic. He said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

Elephant tusks are used for ivory jewelry and home decorations.