An Indonesian citizen working as a sailor has been sentenced by a Singapore court to eight weeks in prison for attempting to import an African elephant tusk hidden inside a thermos, infohub.kz reports.
According to The Straits Times, 30-year-old Hafiludin was detained on August 9, 2026, while passing through the Keppel checkpoint. During a routine X-ray scan of his luggage, officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority noticed a suspicious object inside his thermos.
To fit the 27-centimeter tusk, weighing 550 grams, into the flask, the man had pre-cut part of its body.
The publication reports that the detainee purchased the valuable item in December 2025 while his ship was docked in Lagos, Nigeria. He said he paid a street vendor 150 US dollars and intended to give the souvenir to his father.
During initial questioning, the sailor tried to convince officers that the discovered object was a plastic cigar smoking device, but laboratory examination confirmed the ivory was of natural origin.
Singapore has strict legislation governing international trade in rare species of fauna and flora. Attempting to import specimens protected under the CITES Convention without special permits carries a penalty of up to six years in prison or heavy fines. As a result, the man was found guilty under the law on the import and export of endangered species.