{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1831775,
        "msgid": "east-java-police-foil-smuggling-of-protected-wildlife-abroad-1782806104",
        "date": "2026-06-30 13:58:53",
        "title": "East Java Police Foil Smuggling of Protected Wildlife Abroad",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Legal",
        "summary": "East Java Regional Police have thwarted three separate attempts to smuggle protected wildlife and marine resources through Juanda Airport, including elephant tusks, thousands of preserved butterflies, and nearly 40,000 clear lobster seeds. The operations involved multiple suspects who used methods such as concealing contraband in the luggage of returning Umrah pilgrims and wrapping live lobster seeds in wet towels. Authorities emphasised that these crimes cause significant ecological damage and threaten the sustainability of Indonesia's natural resources for future generations.",
        "content": "<p>The East Java Regional Police have foiled the smuggling of protected\nwildlife abroad, including elephant tusks, butterflies, and clear\nlobster seeds, through Juanda Airport, implicating four suspects in\nthree separate cases. Director of the Special Criminal Investigation\nDirectorate of the East Java Police, Senior Commissioner Roy Hutton\nMarulamrata Sihombing, stated that the first case uncovered involved the\nsmuggling of 53 pieces of elephant tusk with a suspect identified by the\ninitials HAJ. \u2018The goods originated from abroad and were brought into\nIndonesia by entrusting them to returning Umrah pilgrims. The tusks were\nwrapped in aluminium foil and black paper and disguised as car\naccessories,\u2019 Roy said in Surabaya on Tuesday. According to Roy, the\nsuspect utilised nine Umrah pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia to\ncarry the elephant tusks, which were wrapped in aluminium foil and black\npaper and placed into cardboard boxes and suitcases. The case came to\nlight after Juanda Customs officers secured nine suitcases belonging to\nthe Umrah pilgrims at Terminal 2 of Juanda Airport and discovered 53\npieces of elephant tusk without health certificates or quarantine\ndocuments. For his actions, the suspect is charged under Article 86\nletter a and\/or letter c in conjunction with Article 33 of Law Number 21\nof 2019 concerning Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine, which carries a\nmaximum penalty of 10 years\u2019 imprisonment and a fine of up to IDR 10\nbillion. Separately, investigators uncovered the smuggling of 39,960\nclear lobster seeds destined for Singapore via Juanda Airport. In this\ncase, police named two suspects, FM and JSK, who placed the lobster\nseeds into suitcases wrapped in wet towels to keep them alive during the\njourney. \u2018The modus operandi was to put the lobster seeds into suitcases\nwrapped in wet towels, with the destination being Singapore using a\nSingapore Airlines flight through Juanda Airport,\u2019 Roy said. The case\nwas revealed after police received information about an attempt to send\nlobster seeds abroad without official permits. Officers then secured a\nsuitcase containing nearly 40,000 lobster seeds along with several other\npieces of evidence. The two suspects are charged under Article 92 in\nconjunction with Article 26 paragraph (1) and\/or Article 88 in\nconjunction with Article 16 paragraph (1) of Law Number 6 of 2023\nconcerning Fisheries, which carries a penalty of eight years\u2019\nimprisonment and a fine of IDR 1.5 billion. Another case targeted the\ntrade of protected wildlife involving 2,113 butterflies of various\nspecies intended for shipment to China, France, the United States,\nCanada, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Police named a suspect with the\ninitials LL, who sent the preserved butterflies via cargo services at\nJuanda Airport. \u2018Ten DHL airway bills were found, all containing dead\nprotected butterflies to be sent to China, France, the USA, Canada, the\nCzech Republic, and Germany,\u2019 Roy stated. The suspect is charged under\nArticle 40A paragraph (1) letter e of Law Number 32 of 2024 concerning\nConservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems, as\nwell as Article 87 letter a of Law Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal,\nFish, and Plant Quarantine, with a maximum penalty of 10 years\u2019\nimprisonment and a fine of IDR 200 million. Head of Public Relations of\nthe East Java Police, Senior Commissioner Jules Abraham Abast, said that\ncrimes against wildlife and lobster seeds not only cause ecological\nlosses but also disrupt the economic sustainability of future\ngenerations, making law enforcement essential to safeguard national\nenvironmental resilience. \u2018These three cases have different\ncharacteristics, but they share a common thread, namely the exploitation\nof natural resources that threatens ecosystem sustainability and harms\nthe nation\u2019s interests,\u2019 Jules said. He added that the successful\nuncovering of these cases is a tangible manifestation of the East Java\nPolice\u2019s commitment, together with relevant stakeholders, to protecting\nIndonesia\u2019s biological wealth from illegal trade and unlawful\nexploitation.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/east-java-police-foil-smuggling-of-protected-wildlife-abroad-1782806104",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}