Customs officers found two airmail packages full of suspected ivory pieces at the Hong Kong International Airport on Sunday, the second such case in a week.

The parcels, weighing 51 kilogrammes, arrived in the city from Zimbabwe via Amsterdam, Netherlands, according to a government statement.

ivory smuggling
Suspected ivory pieces found in two boxes which arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Hong Kong Government.

The ivory cut pieces, estimated to worth about HK$510,000, were covered with sawdust and declared as “decorative tiles,” the Customs Department said.

ivory smuggling
Suspected ivory pieces found in two boxes which arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Hong Kong Government.

Authorities found a similar inbound parcel at the airport on September 2. It also arrived from Zimbabwe via Amsterdam.

Under Hong Kong law, importing and exporting ivory without a licence is illegal. Violators could be subject to one year in prison and a maximum fine of HK$100,000.

Vivienne Zeng is a journalist from China with three years' experience covering Hong Kong and mainland affairs. She has an MA in journalism from the University of Hong Kong. Her work has been featured on outlets such as Al Jazeera+ and MSNBC.