Indonesia arrests Vietnamese national in major pangolin scale seizure

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian authorities have arrested a Vietnamese national suspected of involvement in a transnational wildlife trafficking syndicate that attempted to smuggle over three tons of critically endangered Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) scales.

The suspect, identified by the initials VXH, was apprehended Wednesday (Aug. 26) in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, following a months-long investigation.

Aswin Bangun, head of the Forestry Ministry’s Law Enforcement Office for the Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara regions, confirmed in Jakarta on Thursday that the arrest is directly linked to a major seizure earlier this year.

In February, customs officials at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port intercepted 3,053 kilograms of pangolin scales slated for overseas shipment.

Following the seizure, Forestry Ministry investigators launched a cross-agency operation that successfully traced the syndicate's network to VXH.

"We coordinated with the Kalimantan Regional Forestry Law Enforcement Office to track the suspect, gather in-depth intelligence, and eventually secure the individual suspected of having ties to this illegal trade network," Bangun said in an official statement.

VXH is currently undergoing questioning and further legal proceedings.

The Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, emphasized in a separate statement that wildlife trafficking is a severe transnational offense.

He noted that the illegal trade not only threatens the survival of endangered species but also undermines national efforts to safeguard Indonesia's rich biodiversity.

Combating these networks requires robust international cooperation and intelligence sharing, he added.

"Faced with increasingly complex and organized wildlife crimes, the Ministry of Forestry continues to strengthen inter-agency synergy and international cooperation—including through the INTERPOL network—to facilitate information exchange, track down syndicates, and expose the involved parties," Nugroho said.

Translator: Prisca Violleta, Uyu Liman
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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