Malaysia, Johor: Police seize RM1 million worth of wildlife parts

Bernama New Straits Times 15 Jul 18;

JOHOR BARU: Police, together with the Johor Wildlife and National Parks Department crippled a syndicate involved in smuggling of wildlife parts in two raids last Thursday.

Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah said the success led to the seizure of RM1 million worth of wildlife parts, which included skull, tooth and horn.

He said the first raid was conducted at a house in Taman Johor Jaya, here, where four local men were arrested and the second was at a house in Ulu Tiram which led to the arrest of a local man.

All the suspects, aged between 29 and 72, have been released on police bail, he said, adding that they were believed to be members of a wildlife smuggling syndicate which had been operating since 2010.

He said the syndicate was believed to have used Johor as a transit to smuggle in the wildlife parts from Indonesia for export to China.

Police are investigating the case under Section 68 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which provides a fine of between RM100,000 and RM500,000 and imprisonment for not more than five years, if found guilty. - Bernama

Cops seize wildlife parts in Johor
zazali musa The Star 16 Jul 18;

JOHOR BARU: Police have crippled a syndicate believed to be involved in smuggling wildlife animal parts to Johor from Indonesia.

Officers seized wildlife parts worth RM1mil destined for China.

Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Comm Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah said the syndicate had been operating in the state since 2010.

He said five local men aged between 29 and 72 were detained during Ops Rimau last Thursday, which was carried out with the Johor Wildlife Department.

Comm Zulkifli said a suspect was caught at a house in an orchard in Ulu Tiram and 23.5kg of wildlife parts were seized.

“The wildlife parts have a street value of RM1mil and they are believed to be bound for the China market,” he told a press conference at the Seri Alam district police headquarters here yesterday.

Also present were Johor police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd and Johor Wildlife Department director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim.

Comm Zulkifli said among the seized wildlife parts included tiger, bear, porcupine, Javanese wild bull, mountain goat bones, internal organs, skulls, tusks, testicles and genitalia.

“We believe the seized items are to be sold in the Chinese market as the animal parts are known to be used for medicinal purposes or as sex stimulants and ornamental items there,” he added.


‘Probe wildlife parts smuggling case’
zazali musa The Star 21 Jul 18;

JOHOR BARU: A conservation group is urging the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to probe the smuggling of 37kg of wildlife parts into Johor last week.

Green Earth Society Johor president P. Sivakumar believes that corrupt officers in security agencies could be in cahoots with smugglers.

“It didn’t make sense at all that our police – together with the state Wildlife Department – only recently crippled the syndicate, which had been operating since 2010,” he said.

Sivakumar believes that the syndicate had been raking in millions of ringgit over the years using Johor as a transit point to smuggle wildlife parts from Indonesia.

In the first raid, four men were detained in a house in Taman Johor Jaya with 13.8kg of wildlife parts, including internal organs.

Another man was later caught at an orchard in Ulu Tiram with 23.3kg of wildlife parts.

The seizure included parts of tigers, bears, porcupines, Javanese wild bulls as well as bones, skulls, testicles and genitalia of mountain goats with a street value of RM1mil.

Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Comm Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah told reporters that the syndicate had been operating in the state since 2010.

Sivakumar said there was also a need for tighter border patrolling in Johor, especially along the coastline.

Johor Consumers Movement Association chairman Md Salleh Sadijo also believes it is an organised syndicate involving corrupt officials from both Malaysia and Indonesia.

“The authorities who were supposed to monitor the entry and exit points have failed to prevent the wildlife parts from entering Johor,” he said.

Md Salleh also urged for enforcement to be stepped up, adding that there could possibly be other syndicates going after wildlife and agarwood in Johor jungles.