Authorities in China have announced the arrests of 16 suspected members of a smuggling ring and the seizure of hundreds of kilograms of ivory, along with rhino horns and bear paws.
Police in Beijing said that as a result of a crackdown from May to August on the illegal trade and transport of wildlife products, officers netted 1,770lbs of ivory, 24lbs of rhino horns and 35 bear paws in a haul worth £2.4 million.
China is the world's largest market for illegal ivory, which has been thriving under the cover of legal ivory sales.
Amid criticism that demand for ivory among its rising middle class threatens African elephants, China is taking steps to fight trafficking and end ivory sales.
In February, China imposed a one-year ban on ivory imports. In September, Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged to halt commercial ivory sales in China when he was visiting the United States.
The ivory was smuggled illegally from Japan to mainland China via Hong Kong, Beijing police said in a statement.
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