Indonesian authorities thwarted an alleged wildlife trafficking attempt involving pythons and iguanas at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, with investigators probing possible links to an international organised crime network.
A Russian citizen with the initials OS was apprehended on Sunday, the 8th of February. The animals that were to be smuggled included one live python (Python bivittatus), 89 live ball pythons (Python regius), 104 live iguanas, and eight dead iguanas packed in several bags.
According to Aswin Bangun, who serves as the Head of the Forestry Law Enforcement Agency for the Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara regions at the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, the case was uncovered thanks to cross-agency collaboration, including the Quarantine Agency, Immigration Office, Customs, and the Natural Resources Conservation Agency in Jakarta and Bali.
Furthermore, the collaboration between the agencies is poised to increase monitoring of illegal routes, including ports and airports suspected of being exit points for animals smuggled out of Indonesia.
“Investigators are currently questioning OS as well as examining and summoning witnesses,” Bangun told the press on Tuesday, the 10th of February.
Under the law, OS faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to Rp2 billion for smuggling protected animals out of Indonesia. Moreover, the Director General of Law Enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, stated that wildlife trafficking is a serious crime that not only harms the state but also threatens the sustainability of ecosystems. He has also ordered investigators to probe the involvement of the suspect and other perpetrators in an international network that smuggles protected wildlife abroad.
“This case is suspected to involve an international organised crime network. The Forestry Law Enforcement Agency will collaborate with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, the prosecutor’s office, the police, and other agencies to trace the flow of funds and the perpetrators’ networks,” Nugroho emphasised as well.