A smuggler of rare elephant ivory was sentenced to nearly three years in prison Wednesday for illegally bringing shipments of carvings from Africa to the U.S.
Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr. in Brooklyn federal also fined Tamba Kaba $25,000 importing the ivory from Nigeria and Ugand in air cargo shipments.
The 71 carvings, made from elephant tusks, were secreted inside wooden and metal handicrafts containing hollow cores.
Kaba was convicted in June following a probe conducted by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The approximate market value of the carvings was $73,300, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, which prosecuted the case.
Importing ivory into the US has been illegal since 1975 and African elephants are listed are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Despite these and other international measures to stop the illicit ivory trade, demand among collectors remains steady.