North Sumatra Marine Police have foiled an attempt to smuggle hundreds of pangolins, Wednesday (11/11). These protected animals smuggled by KM Rezeki Abadi GT 5, with Malaysia as the final destination.
“All the crew members who are citizens of Belawan cannot show the letters. When checked, we found 103 pangolins,” said Chief of North Sumatra Marine Police, Police Senior Commissioner, Tubuh Musyareh. Captain and three crew members assigned to escort to the border between Indonesia and Malaysia.
According to Tubuh, pangolin price reached 5 million rupiah each. The state losses because this smuggling could reach 450 million rupiah.
The arrest comes from the public information about the local pangolin abroad shipment through the Belawan waterway, North Sumatra. “Regarding the origin of pangolin, we cannot be sure because the investigation is being conducted,” said Tubuh. Meanwhile, according to Head of Sub Directorate of Law Enforcement, North Sumatra Marine Police, Police Adjunct Senior Commissioner, Sudung Napitu, they had twice sent pangolins into Malaysia. “The third delivery failed. We still investigate this to find wholesalers and dealer,” said Sudung.
From hundreds of pangolins, nine dead and 94 others alive and will be released to Sibolangit Nature Park, Deli Serdang. “The pregnant pangolin gave birth so the total number is 94 pangolins. “Currently, the smuggling case transferred to the Special Criminal Investigation of North Sumatra Police and the Agency for Natural Resources Conservation.
In recent years, a lot of smuggling and illegal trade of pangolins in North Sumatra. In almost all regions in Tapanuli and Labuhan Batu, hunting pangolin is very high. In April 2015, Police Headquarters destroyed five tonnes of pangolins confiscated from a storehouse of pangolin which had turnover almost 18.4 billion rupiah per yea in KIM I, Malindo Commercial Complex, Pulau Bangka Street, Mabar village, Medan Deli subdistrict, Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, the skinless baby of pangolins is already packaged in airtight plastics. The case became the second largest raids in Indonesia, previously a smuggler networks in Palembangcaught. <strong>May Leandha</strong><strong>
