DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania said on Friday it has seized 377 kilograms of ivory and arrested six people in connection with the haul.
Jumanne Maghembe, the east African nation's Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said the pieces of ivory were seized in a special operation conducted in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.
Maghembe told a news conference that the suspects will be taken to court after completion of investigations.
"We will never look back in our anti-poaching drive until we control the situation," said Maghembe.
The suspects were nabbed on Thursday night at Mbezi Beach area.
A census conducted in 2014 showed that there were only 41,330 elephants in Tanzania. This means there has been a 60 percent decrease in the elephant population since 2009 when there were 114,554 elephants.
