Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday, Brig. General Nunung Syaifuddin, director of certain criminal offenses at Polri's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), said that his team seized several ivory items from the suspects, identified by their initials as IR, EF, SS, and JF.
He highlighted that IR and EF were found in possession of eight ivory tusks, 178 smoking pipes believed to be made from ivory, and two packages of ivory smoking pipes ready for delivery. The items are worth Rp1.39 billion.
From SS, the police confiscated 135 ivory smoking pipes valued at Rp675 million, Syaifuddin said.
From JF, Bareskrim seized items worth approximately Rp319 million, including four large statues, 12 small statues, three batons, a buckle head bearing a lion carving, seven smoking pipes, a stick, and seven bracelets, he informed.
However, he emphasized that ivory prices tend to fluctuate, implying the confiscated items' valuations could be higher. "It is possible for a single ivory to be valued at over Rp1 billion by those truly wanting it," he said.
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Meanwhile, head of the West Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA) 1, Stephanus Hanny Rekyanto, highlighted that these valuations do not represent the actual loss to the state.
"These figures are based only on black market prices. We have not calculated the ecological and economic losses caused by disturbance to the elephant population and habitat," he explained.
The four suspects were arrested from different locations: IR, EF, and SS were picked up from Sukabumi, West Java, and JF from his home in South Jakarta.
JF operated four clandestine ivory kiosks in Jakarta and sold ivory items to IR, who then resold them to SS via social media.
SS, also a trader, admitted to shipping ivory smoking pipes to Malaysia and South Korea.
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Translator: Nadia P, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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