{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1681496,
        "msgid": "three-suspects-in-illegal-hunting-in-komodo-national-park-face-10-years-in-prison-1776333057",
        "date": "2026-04-16 15:32:26",
        "title": "Three Suspects in Illegal Hunting in Komodo National Park Face 10 Years in Prison",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNN_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Legal",
        "summary": "Three suspects involved in illegal hunting in Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara, are set to stand trial, facing up to 10 years in prison and fines of Rp5 billion under laws protecting wildlife and ecosystems, as well as firearms possession regulations. The case highlights the severe ecological threats posed by such activities, including the hunting of protected Timor deer essential to the Komodo dragon's food chain, with authorities still pursuing five fugitives and having seized weapons and evidence from a confrontation at sea. Separately, a related bust in East Java uncovered an international syndicate smuggling live Komodo dragons and other protected species, underscoring ongoing efforts to combat wildlife trafficking in Indonesia.",
        "content": "<p>The case of illegal hunting in Komodo National Park, East Nusa\nTenggara (NTT), has now entered the trial phase, where three suspects\nwill be tried. Meanwhile, authorities are still pursuing five alleged\nperpetrators of illegal hunting in the national park, home to\nIndonesia\u2019s endemic animals. The Ministry of Forestry handed over all\ncase files along with evidence to the Manggarai Barat District\nProsecutor\u2019s Office on Tuesday (14\/4). Director General of Law\nEnforcement (Gakkum) of the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho,\nreminded that this case is not merely about animal theft but a real\nthreat to the balance of nature. In addition to Komodo dragons, he\nstated that the hunting of protected Timor deer also has an impact.\nAccording to him, the Timor deer targeted for hunting plays a vital role\nin the food chain of the endemic Komodo animals and the balance of the\necosystem there. \u201cThe Timor deer is an important link in the survival of\nthe Komodo dragon and the balance of the savanna ecosystem. If this\nhunting practice is allowed to continue, the impact will not only be\nfelt by one species but will spread to the destruction of the entire\nnatural order. The integrity of this ecosystem, which is a source of\nworld pride, is at stake,\u201d Dwi said in an official statement, quoted on\nThursday (16\/4). The uncovering of illegal hunting practices in Komodo\nNational Park stemmed from a joint operation by the Centre for Law\nEnforcement of the Environment and Forestry (Gakkum) and the police. The\ncrackdown on illegal hunting took place on 14 December 2025 in the\nwaters of Laju Pemali, Komodo Island. When officers tried to stop a\nsuspicious moving boat, the situation heated up because the illegal\nhunters instead resisted by pointing firearms at the authorities. A\nshootout was unavoidable and briefly occurred in the waters of the Sape\nStrait, before the authorities finally managed to control the situation\nand arrest three suspects with initials AB, AD, and YA. However,\nofficers stated that there were still five other individuals who managed\nto escape and are now officially on the wanted list (DPO). Head of the\nJabalnusra Gakkum Centre, Aswin Bangun, explained that his team managed\nto secure several pieces of evidence, including one homemade firearm,\neight rounds of active 5.56 mm calibre ammunition, ten bullet casings,\none hunted deer, and the wooden boat used for the crime. \u201cOur officers\nhad to face a very critical and life-threatening situation. Therefore,\nwe are handling this case comprehensively and seriously, not stopping at\nthe three people arrested. We continue to hunt for the five fugitives,\u201d\nAswin said when confirmed by CNNindonesia.com on Thursday. The suspects\nare now charged with multiple articles. They face charges under Law\nNo.\u00a032 of 2024 on the Protection of Biological Natural Resources and\nTheir Ecosystems, as well as the Emergency Law No.\u00a012 of 1951 regarding\nfirearms possession. For their actions, they face a maximum prison\nsentence of 10 years and a fine of up to Rp5 billion. Komodo smuggling\nabroad Previously, the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation\n(Ditreskrimsus) of the East Java Provincial Police successfully\ndismantled an international-scale syndicate trading protected wildlife,\nsuch as Komodo dragons, cuscus, and hundreds of kilograms of pangolin\nscales, with state losses reaching billions of rupiah. Dirreskrimsus of\nEast Java Police, Kombes Roy HM Sihombing, stated that this bust was\ndivided into several crime clusters. The first and main cluster was the\ntheft of protected wildlife species, Komodo dragons (Varanus\nkomodoensis), taken directly from their natural habitat in the East\nManggarai Regency area, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). \u201cThe suspects are\nsuspected of trading live protected animals in the form of three Komodo\ndragons or Varanus komodoensis originating from suppliers or hunters\nfrom the Sambi Rampas Subdistrict, East Manggarai Regency, NTT\nProvince,\u201d Roy said at East Java Police Headquarters on Wednesday\n(15\/4). Deputy Head of Subdirectorate IV Tipidter of Ditreskrimsus East\nJava Police, AKBP Hanif Fatih Wicaksono, said that this bust began with\nintelligence information about the shipment of protected animals from\nNTT to Surabaya via sea route. Officers then made arrests at Tanjung\nPerak Port, Surabaya, when suspects BM and SD disembarked from the ship.\nIn smuggling the Komodo dragons to Surabaya, the suspects used PVC pipes\nas a medium to store the protected reptiles. The smuggled Komodo dragons\nwere still juveniles. Police then confirmed the authenticity of the\nanimals through scientific testing in a laboratory. DNA test results\nconfirmed that the seized animals were not ordinary monitor lizards but\ngenuine protected Komodo dragons.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/three-suspects-in-illegal-hunting-in-komodo-national-park-face-10-years-in-prison-1776333057",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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