Russian Foreign National Named Suspect in Smuggling of 202 Protected Reptiles

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Ministry of Forestry, through the Law Enforcement Unit (Gakkum) for the Kalimantan Region, has once again foiled an attempt to smuggle 202 reptiles out of the country, allegedly carried out by a foreign national from Russia.

The Director General of Law Enforcement (Dirjen Gakkum) of the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut), Dwi Januanto Nugroho, stated that strict enforcement through Gakkum is part of the national strategy to strengthen the protection of protected wildlife.

“Law enforcement is an important instrument to provide a deterrent effect while breaking the chain of increasingly complex illegal trade,” said Dwi Januanto in his statement on Friday (3/4/2026).

The smuggled reptiles consisted of 1 Burmese python, 89 ball pythons, 104 live iguanas, and 8 dead iguanas. After inspection, all the reptiles lacked valid documentation.

In this case, one Russian foreign national with the initials OS has been named as a suspect.

The Jabalnusra Regional Forestry Law Enforcement Unit has handed over OS along with the evidence to the Prosecutor’s Office.

The modus operandi used indicates the presence of an organised cross-border wildlife trade network that continues to exploit supervision loopholes.

Meanwhile, in addition to enforcement, the government is also promoting conservation efforts through habitat protection, monitoring of wildlife circulation, as well as cross-sectoral and international cooperation.

The government hopes this approach will preserve wildlife populations and strengthen Indonesia’s position as a country with the world’s greatest biodiversity.