‘Probe wildlife parts smuggling case’

Corrupt officers in security agencies may be in cahoots with syndicate, group tells MACC

JOHOR BARU: A conservation group is urging the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) to probe the smuggling of 37kg of wildlife parts into Johor last week.

Green Earth Society Johor president P. Sivakumar believes that corrupt officers in security agencies could be in cahoots with smugglers.

“It didn’t make sense at all that our police – together with the state Wildlife Department – only recently crippled the syndicate, which had been operating since 2010,” he said.

Sivakumar believes that the syndicate had been raking in millions of ringgit over the years using Johor as a transit point to smuggle wildlife parts from Indonesia.

On July 12, five men, aged between 29 and 72, were detained in a series of raids during Ops Rimau.

In the first raid, four men were detained in a house in Taman Johor Jaya with 13.8kg of wildlife parts, including internal organs.

Another man was later caught at an orchard in Ulu Tiram with 23.3kg of wildlife parts.

The seizure included parts of tigers, bears, porcupines, Javanese wild bulls as well as bones, skulls, testicles and genitalia of mountain goats with a street value of RM1mil.

Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Comm Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah told reporters that the syndicate had been operating in the state since 2010.

Sivakumar said there was also a need for tighter border patrolling in Johor, especially along the coastline.

Johor Consumers Movement Association chairman Md Salleh Sadijo also believes it is an organised syndicate involving corrupt officials from both Malaysia and Indonesia.

“The authorities who were supposed to monitor the entry and exit points have failed to prevent the wildlife parts from entering Johor,” he said.

Md Salleh also urged for enforcement to be stepped up, adding that there could possibly be other syndicates going after wildlife and agarwood in Johor jungles.

It didn’t make sense at all that our police ... only recently crippledp the syndicate. P. Sivakumar