Anson Wong 'Lizard King' jailed, Penang wildlife dept head transferred

The Star 7 Sep 10;

SEPANG: Always elusive, wildlife trafficker Anson Wong — described as the “Pablo Escobar of the wildlife trade” — was jailed six months and fined a total of RM190,000 for smuggling 95 snakes without a permit.

The Lizard King, as he is known in the United States, was caught at the KL International Airport on Aug 26 while trying to smuggle boa constrictors without a permit to Jakarta.

He pleaded guilty to committing the offence.

This is the first time the 52-year-old Pe­­nangite has been sentenced in Malaysia.

He was arrested and prosecuted in the Uni­ted States in June 2001, when he was handed a 71-month jail term and fined US$60,000 (RM187,000) for wildlife trafficking.


Penang wildlife dept boss transferred
The Star 7 Sep 10;

PETALING JAYA: Natural Re­­sources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas said his ministry would appeal and seek a tougher penalty against international wildlife trafficker Anson Wong.

“I believe Wong got off lightly.

“My ministry will appeal for an appropriate penalty for a man who has a clear conviction record abroad,” he told The Star, adding that he would soon meet NGOs to eradicate loopholes in traffic enforcement.

In George Town, news of the transfer of the Penang National Park and Wildlife Department director to another state effective on Oct 1 became a hot topic among the employees of the state office.

Uggah confirmed that the director would be transferred to Terengganu but he declined to elaborate on the reasons to transfer the director.

A Wildlife Department official said the news came as a surprise to staff in the office yesterday morning.

“Everyone was puzzled as to why he should be transferred at such short notice,” said the official.

“The director will be on holiday during Hari Raya and will continue with his leave prior to the transfer.”

The director was posted to Penang in 2006 when he was promoted to the post of state National Park director.

Prior to that he was a senior officer at the department’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.


Wildlife kingpin who traded from Penang
The Star 7 Sep 10;

Nicknamed the “Lizard King”, “Pablo Escobar of the wildlife trade” and “Asian wildlife kingpin”, Anson Wong began his foray into the wildlife trade by exhibiting reptiles at the now-defunct Bukit Jambul Reptile Sanctuary, a registered company that he and his wife owned.

From the early 1990s, Jones Road in Penang was the operating address for a host of companies linked to Wong, among them Sungai Rusa Wildlife, CBS Wildlife and air cargo operator Aerofleet.

In 1998, Wong was lured to Mexico to seal a deal with an undercover agent from the US Fish and Wildife Service, who posed as a buyer.

Codenamed Operation Chame­leon, undercover agents infiltrated Wong’s network, which imported and exported more than 300 protected species via Penang by concealing them in express delivery packages, airline baggage and large commercial shipments of legally declared animals.

He was arrested but fought a US order for his extradition for two years.

He failed in the end and was prosecuted in the United States on June 7, 2001, when he was handed a 71-month jail term and fined US$60,000 (RM187,000).

Wong was also banned from selling animals to anybody in the United States for three years after his jail term.

Groups not happy with light sentence
The Star 7 Sep 10;

PETALING JAYA: Conservation groups have expressed disappointment over the sentence against Anson Wong, saying Malaysia should show the world it was serious in tackling wildlife trafficking.

Traffic South-East Asia regional director Dr William Schaedla said in a statement yesterday the authorities must be serious in clearing Malaysia’s reputation as a wildlife trafficking hub.

Traffic South-East Asia is part of the global Traffic network, which is a joint programme of the International Union for Conser­vation of Nature and WWF, established to monitor trade in wild plants and animals.

A Sessions Court yesterday sentenced Wong to six months’ jail and fined him a total of RM190,000 after he pleaded guilty to illegally exporting 95 boa constrictors.

WWF-Malaysia executive director Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma said that in view of the fact that Wong had 95 snakes in his possession and that the aggregate maximum fine that could be imposed was RM1mil, “the fine comes up a little short in relation to the offence”.

Dr Sharma urged the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to revoke all of Wong’s current licences to trade in wildlife.

Smuggler wanted to meet Raya deadline
Rita Jong New Straits Times 7 Sep 10;

SEPANG: Businessman Wong Keng Liang, better known as Anson Wong, was sentenced to six months' jail and fined RM190,000 for illegally exporting 95 boa constrictors.

Wong, 52, who had served time in the United States nine years ago for animal trafficking, was sentenced by Sessions Court judge Zulhelmy Hassan after he pleaded guilty to exporting the endangered species without a permit at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport here at 8.50pm on Aug 26.

Wong, believed to be an international wildlife trader, was in KLIA on transit from Penang to Jakarta. The snakes were found in his suitcase.

Under the International Trade of Endangered Species Act 2008, he was liable to a maximum fine of RM100,000 for each animal but the total fine should not exceed RM1 million, or up to seven years' jail, or both.

When asked by Zulhelmy why he had committed the offence, Wong said: "My customers were pushing me to send the snakes to Surabaya before Hari Raya.

"In my haste to keep my customers happy, I made a misjudgment."

He said the boa constrictors found in his luggage were not actually endangered species, but were captive-bred.

In mitigation, his counsel M. Sivam pleaded for leniency as Wong had saved the court's time and cost by pleading guilty.

"In this case, the animals were not injured or tortured. The snakes were imported legally. He only did not obtain a permit to export," he said.

"I also ask that my client's laptop and three handphones be returned to him as they are not related to the case today," he said, adding that the items were seized because they were found with Wong when he was detained.

Senior legal adviser Faridz Gohim Abdullah, from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, however, pressed for a custodial sentence.

"Animal smuggling activities are serious and rampant and must be curbed. If no drastic or stern action is taken, it can cause the extinction of wildlife," he said.

"The government has established an act (International Trade of Endangered Species Act 2008) two years ago to protect these endangered species."

Faridz said Malaysia has become known as a hub for wildlife smugglers because of people like Wong.

He also told the court that Wong had served time in the US for a similar offence.

Faridz also objected to Sivam's application for the laptop and handphones to be returned to Wong as it was believed that the items contained information and names of suspected wildlife traders.

Zulhelmy agreed and dismissed the lawyer's application.

He also ordered Wong to serve another 12 months' jail if he failed to pay the fine. Wong paid the fine.

The boa constrictor is a large species of snake, very adaptable and lives in a number of habitats in different climates. It is a member of the Boidae family, found in Central America, South America and some islands in the Caribbean.

Wong was charged on Wednesday and had pleaded guilty. He was granted a RM50,000 bail with one surety pending his sentencing yesterday.

In 1998, Wong was arrested in Mexico City and was extradited to the US three years later where he was sentenced to 71 months' jail.

He had pleaded guilty to 40 counts of smuggling, conspiracy, money laundering and violations of US wildlife protection laws.

It was dubbed one of the largest cases of illegal trade ever prosecuted in the US.


Disappointing verdict, says group
New Straits Times 7 Sep 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: A non-governmental organisation has questioned the rationale behind what it believes to be too light a sentence for Wong Keng Liang in attempting to smuggle 95 snakes.

Traffic Southeast Asia regional director Dr William Schaedla called the sentencing of the businessman, better known as Anson Wong, to six months' jail and a fine of RM190,000 "disappointing" and a "tragedy".

"The Anson Wong verdict indicates unwillingness or inability to get tough with the real wildlife criminals. The authorities were clearly not prepared to see justice served and show the world it was serious about tackling wildlife trafficking.

"The disappointing sentence also does little to reward vigilant enforcement officers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport who foiled the attempt," he said in a statement.

Schaedla reminded the authorities to continue investigations as many questions were still unanswered.

"How was Wong able to bypass security checks at Penang Airport?"

Schaedla also urged the authorities to investigate Wong's laptop and handphones which were confiscated during his arrest. He said the items could hold information pertaining to other known wildlife smugglers and trade activities.

Malaysian 'Lizard King' jailed for smuggling snakes
Yahoo News 6 Sep 10;

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – A notorious Malaysian wildlife trafficker nicknamed the "Lizard King" was sentenced Monday to six months in jail for smuggling snakes, a penalty activists said was far too lenient and a "tragedy".

Anson Wong, 52, described as one of the world's most-wanted traffickers, pleaded guilty last week to attempting to smuggle 95 endangered boa constrictors to neighbouring Indonesia.

He was sentenced under laws which prohibit the export of animals without a permit and fined 190,000 ringgit (61,000 dollars), the Star newspaper said on its website.

An official from the Wildlife and National Parks Department confirmed the sentence to AFP but declined further comment. Wong had faced a maximum seven years in jail.

Wildlife groups criticised the penalty, saying it was "disappointing" that the courts had not thrown the book at "a man who has brought shame to this country" with his wildlife smuggling conviction abroad.

"This is a tragedy. It clearly tells wildlife traffickers that they have little to fear from Malaysian law," Traffic Southeast Asia regional director William Schaedla said in a statement.

The group pointed out that two women, both first-time offenders, who were found with two endangered Madagascan tortoises had been sentenced to one year in jail in July.

"As the government was not successful in delivering a harsh, deterrent sentence to a long-time, globally known and convicted wildlife trafficker, it gives up little hope that other offenders will be penalised accordingly."

"It sends a clear message that Malaysia is not ready to stand up and battle wildlife crime," Schaedla added.

WWF Malaysia described the amount of the fine as a "slap on the wrist", and urged the authorities to revoke Wong's licences to trade in wildlife, including permits for wildlife establishments he runs as well as those linked to his family.

Its executive director Dionysius Sharma said the move against Wong's trade was needed to prevent "the risk of illegal wildlife trade being furthered under the guise of legality and still very much under Wong's control".

Authorities have said Wong was arrested after his luggage broke while on the conveyor belt. Airline staff later found snakes and a turtle in his bag.

Wong was reportedly sentenced to 71 months in jail in the United States in 2001 after he pleaded guilty to trafficking charges.

Despite efforts by Southeast Asian authorities to crack down on animal smuggling, the practice still persists in the region, posing a threat to endangered species, activists say.

Malaysian jailed for 95 snakes on a plane
Reuters AlertNet 6 Sep 10;

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 (Reuters) - A Malaysian was jailed for six months and fined 190,000 ringgit ($61,000) for trying to smuggle 95 snakes out of the country, a sentence that campaigners said was too light.

Anson Wong, already convicted of trafficking in wildlife in the United States in 2001, pleaded guilty last week and will start his sentence on Sept. 13.

Under Malaysian law, Wong could have faced seven years in jail and fines of up to 100,000 ringgit ($32,000) for each snake up to a maximum of a million ringgit or both.

Wong was detained when in transit from the Malaysian island state of Penang to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Aug. 26 when staff at Kuala Lumpur airport were alerted to a bag that had broken while on a conveyor belt.

They found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the bag.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Wong had pleaded guilty to a trafficking in the United States in 2001 and was sentenced to 71 months in jail.

TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring organisation, said the sentence indicated unwillingness by Malaysian authorities to get tough with real wildlife criminals and to show the world it was serious about wildlife trafficking.

"This is a tragedy. It clearly tells wildlife traffickers that they have little to fear from Malaysian law," said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia regional director, William Schaedla. (Reporting by Bazuki Muhammad and Chee Weng Yoong; writing by Royce Cheah; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Revoke licences call for repeat wildlife trafficking offender
WWF Malaysia 6 Sep 10;

Selangor, Malaysia: A six month jail sentence for one of the world’s noted wildlife trafficker is welcome but the offender should also have all licences for possession of totally protected and protected wildlife revoked, WWF-Malaysia said today.

The comments come after the Malaysia Sessions Court sentenced Keng Liang “Anson” Wong, owner of two wildlife establishments in Penang, to six months jail today, after he was caught last August with listed boa constrictors in his luggage at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

“On the other hand, the fine of merely RM190 000 ($US 60,000) appears to be a slap on the wrist in view of the fact that Wong had 95 snakes in his possession and that the aggregate maximum fine that could be imposed was RM 1 million ($US 320,000),” said Dato’ Dr. Dionysius Sharma, Executive Director/CEO of WWF-Malaysia.

“The fine comes up a little short in relation to the offence.”

Anson Wong, known as “the Lizard King” and a “notorious” wildlife trafficker, was sentenced in the US to six years jail and fined $60,000 in 2001 after admitting to wildlife trafficking crimes.

However, his counsel in the current case told the court Anson was a first time offender.

“ WWF-Malaysia also urges the Ministry to now revoke ALL of Anson Wong’s current licenses to trade in wildlife, including his two wildlife establishments in Penang as well as those linked to his family members,” Dato’ Sharma said.

This would be in line with Section 17 of Malaysia’s International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008 under which Wong was charged, where the Management Authority may cancel permits if the holder of such permits has been convicted under this Act.

According to Dato’ Sharma, it is justified to revoke any such licenses granted to his family members as there is a strong need to pre-empt the risk of illegal wildlife trade being furthered under the guise of legality and still very much under Wong’s control.