A 71-YEAR-OLD woman is under investigation after 32 pieces carved from elephant ivory were found at her Valencia City home.
She faces charges for trafficking fauna and for smuggling.
The items had been put up for sale via the internet and were said to be worth €3.6 million in terms of damage caused to fauna.
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The Guardia Civil became aware of the elderly dealer in October as part of their ongoing investigations into people trafficking items involving protected species.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has rules covering over 40,000 species of animals and plants to prevent their exploitation.
The Guardia discovered that the 32 pieces that were being sold did not have any CITES certification which are mandatory for sales.
The items, all of them carved with oriental characters and scenes, were confiscated and sent to specialists for analysis.
A report has been handed over to a Valencia court which will handle charges against the female seller.
In August, the Guardia Civil raided a Valencia antiques shop and took away 127 elephant ivory items- one of the biggest seizures of such items in Spain.
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