Three persons engaged in the sale of body parts of protected animals were arrested from Sarolangun-Bangko Road on May 10, 2023.
"We will continue to work together with the relevant law enforcement officials to eradicate poaching and trade of protected animals in order to maintain their sustainability," Head of the Law Enforcement Center of the LHK Ministry for Sumatra region Subhan said in a statement received here on Friday.
Investigators named the three persons as suspects based on an interim examination. They have been identified as MA, 46, a resident of Paseban village, Tebo district, Jambi province; MK, 33, a resident of Sungai Abang village, Sarolangun district, Jambi province; and ML, 48, a resident of Aur Gading village, Sarolangun district, Jambi province.
The three suspects are currently being held by the Jambi Regional Police. Meanwhile, evidence in the form of two sacks containing Sumatran tiger bones and skin, a car, a motorcycle, and three mobile phones has been secured at the Command Headquarters of the Jambi Rapid Reaction Forest Police Unit (SPORC).
Subhan informed that the three suspects are currently being investigated by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's Law Enforcement Center to explore the possibility of the involvement of other parties and a wild plants and wildlife distribution network in Jambi.
For this act, the suspects will be subjected to criminal penalties under Article 21 Paragraph 2 Letter d junto Article 40 Paragraph 2 of Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning the Conservation of Living Natural Resources and their Ecosystems, with a maximum imprisonment of five years and a maximum fine of Rp100 million.
The LHK Ministry, in recent years, has carried out 1,931 operations to protect the environment and forested areas in Indonesia. At least 456 operations have involved the protection of wild plants and wild animals.
A total of 1,375 criminal and civil cases have been brought to court, he said adding, they have involved both corporate and individual criminals.
"We continue to strengthen the use of technology, such as cyber patrols and intelligence centers, for monitoring the trade in protected animals," Subhan said.
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Translator: Sugiharto Purnama, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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