HONG KONG: A record eight tons of pangolin scales found in a container from Nigeria was unveiled by Hong Kong officials on Friday, underscoring the city’s central role in the booming illegal wildlife trade. Customs officers said they conducted a joint investigation with mainland officials on 16 January, seizing 8,300 kilos of pangolin scales and 2,100 kilos of ivory tusks hidden inside a container — declared to be carrying frozen beef — at a customs facility. A man and a woman from a trading company in the city have since been arrested, the department said. Customs officers displayed dozens of sacks filled with scales to the media as well as hundreds of uncarved tusks, in an acrid-smelling room. Officials estimated the value of the haul at HK$62 million ($8 million). AFP