Wildlife smuggling syndicate crippled
JOHOR BARU: Police have crippled a syndicate which acted as middlemen and traded in protected wildlife for medical purposes in foreign countries.
Federal police Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah said police and Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) confiscated butchered parts of tigers and other protected animals with a total street value of RM1 million in two raids in Pasir Gudang on July 12.
Five local men, aged 29 to 72, were arrested in the raids at two houses in Masai and Johor Jaya.
Zulkifli said all the animals were believed to have come from Indonesia, and police suspect the syndicate might have used illegal water ways to smuggle the cargo into Malaysia.
Investigations showed that the syndicate was using Malaysia as a transit point, and planned to smuggle the items to a third country.
“We need more details to identify the destination,” he said at the Seri Alam police station yesterday.
Police believe the syndicate has been active since 2010.
Also present were Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd and Johor Wildlife director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim.
The case will be investigated under Section 68 of the Wildlife Protection Act 2010 which carries a fine between RM100,000 and RM500,000, and a jail term of up to five years.