The Ministry's Head of the Forestry Law Enforcement Agency for the Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara Regions, Aswin Bangun, on Tuesday said the case's disclosure demonstrates the synergy between related agencies in protecting Indonesia's natural resources.
"We will increase surveillance of illegal routes, including ports and airports, which are suspected of being the exit points for animals to be smuggled out of Indonesia," he remarked in a statement.
He explained that a Russian national identified by the initials OS was detained on February 8 at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, after authorities thwarted an attempt on Thursday (January 29) regarding the smuggling of 202 animals without valid documents to Russia, allegedly involving OS.
The animals attempted to be smuggled included one live python (Python bivittatus), 89 live ball pythons (Python regius), 104 live iguanas, and eight dead packed in several bags.
Bangun said investigators are currently questioning OS and summoning witnesses.
According to him, the act of removing protected animals, whether alive or dead, specimens, parts, or items made from their parts from one place to another in Indonesia and/or outside Indonesian territory is subject to a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum fine of Rp2 billion (US$115 thousand).
The Director General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, conveyed that wildlife trafficking is a serious crime that not only harms the state but also threatens the sustainability of the ecosystem.
"This case is suspected to involve an organized international crime network. The Forestry Law Enforcement Agency will collaborate with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), the prosecutor's office, the police, and other agencies to trace the flow of funds and the perpetrators' network," he pointed out.
He has also ordered investigators to probe the involvement of the suspect and other perpetrators in the international network smuggling protected wildlife abroad.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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