South Kalimantan Police foil pangolin scale smuggling to Vietnam and China
Banjarmasin (ANTARA) - Sub-Directorate IV for Specific Crimes of the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the South Kalimantan Regional Police has successfully foiled the smuggling of pangolin scales to Vietnam and China, carried out by a cross-provincial black market pangolin scale trading network.
“We arrested two suspects with the initials HJ and P in Banjarmasin on Friday (31/7) while they were carrying 64 kilograms of pangolin scales that were planned to be taken to Surabaya for onward shipment to Vietnam and China,” said South Kalimantan Police Director of Special Criminal Investigation, Senior Commissioner Sigit Haryono, in Banjarmasin on Wednesday.
Sigit explained that the case came to light following a tip-off from members of the public who suspected trade in body parts of the protected animal.
After a lengthy investigation, officers eventually learned of the plan to transport the pangolin scales, which were being carried by two people travelling by car from Hulu Sungai Utara Regency to Banjarmasin.
“We intercepted the car carrying the pangolin scales when it arrived in the car park of a hotel in Banjarmasin,” he said.
To verify the authenticity of the pangolin scales, police coordinated with the South Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA Kalsel).
Police also sought to trace the source of the pangolins obtained by the suspects through cooperation with the South Kalimantan Forestry Service.
Sigit explained that the suspects obtained the pangolin scales from hunters in the forests of North Barito Regency and Tabalong Regency, buying them at Rp1.5 million per kilogram and reselling them to a collector network in Surabaya for Rp2.9 million.
The 64 kilograms of seized pangolin scales are known to have come from 320 adult pangolins in live condition.
This estimate was obtained based on the suspects’ statement that each kilogram of pangolin scales comes from five pangolins.
“This is the largest disclosure in a pangolin scale case. We also express our gratitude for the synergy and collaboration of the relevant agencies that enabled this case to be uncovered,” he said.
Meanwhile, Head of BKSDA Kalsel Agus Ngurah Krisna explained that illegal hunting of pangolins has pushed the species to the brink of critical endangerment.
“The pangolin is an animal that feeds on ants and termites, so the extinction of the pangolin will disrupt the balance of the ecosystem in nature,” he said.
Agus added that the pangolin is not only protected under national law but is also listed under the highest level of international legal protection through CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in Appendix I since 2016.
Head of the Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation Section of the South Kalimantan Forestry Service, Paidil, also appreciated the law enforcement action taken by the South Kalimantan Police to protect the richness of the ecosystem, especially forest areas.
“The forest area in South Kalimantan covers 1.6 million hectares and certainly requires synergy in relation to forest protection and conservation within it,” he said.