DRI Busts A Wildlife Trafficking Syndicate Involved In Illicit Trade Of Ivory Artefacts

In a major operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) under India’s Ministry of Finance busted a syndicate of wildlife traffickers and seized 54 intricately carved ivory artefacts.

Acting on specific intelligence about the illicit trade of ivory artefacts, DRI officers planned a meticulous operation in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and intercepted four members of a syndicate involved in the illicit trade of wildlife items, leading to the recovery of 54 exquisitely crafted ivory artefacts.

Ivory artefacts are decorative objects carved from the hard, white dentine of animal teeth or tusks, most commonly from elephants, but also from mammoths, walruses, and hippos.

The recovered artefacts include animal figurines of a bull, elephants, and a dog; human figurines of a warrior and a mother holding her child; and other items such as scissors, a comb, an agarbatti stand, a sindoor dani, etc. 

The recovered ivory artefacts are exquisite, finely detailed, and potentially of substantial commercial and antique value.

The seized ivory artefacts and four members of the syndicate were handed over to the UP Forest Department for further investigation.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, inter alia, prohibits trade and commerce in elephant ivory and articles manufactured therefrom, in furtherance of India’s international obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

In July 2026, in two distinct operations, 11 kg of elephant ivory tusks were seized in Sujangarh, Rajasthan and two intricately designed ivory idols of deities were seized in Howrah, Kolkata.

Then, in May 2026, DRI busted one syndicate in Mysuru, Karnataka and seized 4 kg of elephant tusks.

This series of operations underscores the growing threat of wildlife trafficking and illegal trade of ivory artefacts.

It also highlights the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence’s ongoing efforts to safeguard India’s biodiversity and dismantle such criminal networks in accordance with national laws and international obligations under CITES.