Illegal Sales of Ivory and Rhino Horn Artefacts at New York Auction House Lead to Charges
Merces Gallery, an online auction business based in Great Neck, New York, and its owners, Grace Hu and Yincheng Wu, were indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for engaging in the illegal commercialization of wildlife products, specifically objects made from elephant ivory and rhino horn.
The gallery, registered in 2020 by Wu and Hu, was charged with selling tens of thousands of dollars worth of ivory products through its online auctions, conducted on platforms such as mercesgallery.com and LiveAuctioneers. The items were listed under the category of “Rare Material” without mentioning that they were made from elephant tusks or rhinoceros horns.
During undercover transactions, Wu and Hu sold various ivory products, including an elephant ivory rosary bead, a set of elephant ivory figurines, and a carved elephant tusk, totaling nearly $40,000. The duo referred to the ivory items as “rare material” during the initial payment, only revealing their true nature afterwards.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Environmental Conservation are actively pursuing legal actions against individuals and businesses involved in the illicit wildlife trade. Recent cases in the US and UK have resulted in stiff penalties for those caught smuggling or selling ivory items, highlighting the global effort to combat the illegal ivory trade.
Source
Cillian O’Rourke, studied at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland, where he majored in Visual Communication. His work spans graphic design, illustration, and branding, with a distinct minimalist style that emphasizes simplicity and impact. Cillian has collaborated with international brands and runs his own design studio focusing on creative solutions for startups.