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Three Arrested for Selling African Elephant Tusks as Mammoth Ivory

TOKYO, Feb 03 (News On Japan) - Three men have been arrested on suspicion of selling tusks from endangered elephants on an online auction site after falsely labeling them as “mammoth tusks” or “ivory-style” products.

Police said the suspects include secondhand goods dealer Naoto Takemae, 47, who along with two others is accused of selling African elephant tusks without registering them with the government, as required by law for endangered species, in 2025.

Investigators said Takemae listed the elephant tusks on auction sites using misleading descriptions such as “mammoth tusks” and “ivory-style,” generating sales totaling about 1.08 million yen.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Takemae admitted the allegations, saying, “I knew it was illegal, but I sold them because I didn’t know how to dispose of them.”

Source: FNN

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