CHENGDU - A suspect has been caught trying to smuggle 18 pieces of ivory products weighing a total of 1.725 kg into China, customs officials have said.

It was the biggest ivory smuggling case this year seized at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Southwest China's Sichuan province, customs officials said on Monday.

On March 26, a man returning to Chengdu from Ethiopia, was caught with 18 ivory items hidden in his pockets. The man claimed that he bought the items in Africa as gifts for family and friends. He was taken into custody.

Chengdu customs have handled 20 ivory smuggling cases and confiscated more than 5 kg of ivory so far this year.

China banned the domestic ivory trade at the end of 2017 as part of its commitment to protecting wild animals.