Foreign woman nabbed over attempt to smuggle out 1,060 protected birds
KUCHING: The General Operations Force (GOF) foiled an attempt to smuggle out 1,060 protected birds worth nearly RM850,000 during an operation in Tebedu on Monday.
GOF Battalion 11 commanding officer Supt Rosdi Inai said a foreign woman was arrested in connection with the offence, along with a 30year-old local man who showed up later and offered a bribe of RM7,000 for the woman’s release.
“Initial investigation found the woman, 39, was travelling on valid documents but she did not have any permit or licence for the protected birds, which comprised magpie-robins and white-rumped shamas,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Rosdi said the investigation also found that baskets holding the birds were transported via a small lorry to Tebedu, where they would then be picked up by transporters on motorcycles and smuggled out of the country through an illegal route along the border.
“We believe the protected birds were intended for sale in a neighbouring country due to the high demand and price there,” he added.
Joining the GOF operation on Monday were personnel from Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission (MACC).
The female suspect is being investigated under sections 29(2) and 37(1) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998 while the man, under Section 17(b) of the MACC Act 2009.
Meanwhile, SFC general manager Oswald Braken Tisen in a statement said the seized birds would be sent to Matang Wildlife Centre, and thanked all those involved in carrying out the operation.
“Through our collaboration, we are ensuring the protection and conservation of wildlife. Close collaboration with different enforcement agencies undoubtedly boosts the effectiveness and dissuasiveness of our action,” he said.