PETALING JAYA: Malaysian authorities crippled the “Ninja Turtle Gang’s” attempt to smuggle hundreds of tortoises for the exotic pet trade in Southeast Asia, wildlife officials stated on July 4.
In an operation dubbed “United National Resource, by the police and wildlife officers on Saturday, 400 tortoises valued at RM3.8 million (US$805,084) were confiscated.
According to AFP, the Peninsular Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan), Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim, highlighted this as the largest seizure of its kind in the past decade.
He mentioned that the reptiles were destined for markets in Thailand and Indonesia after fulfilling local demand.
Across Asia, tortoises are often associated with good luck and prosperity.
He said that the smuggled tortoises were believed to have originated from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
The bust included a car chase leading to the arrest of a suspected smuggler, who then directed officers to a stash of rare three-keeled land turtles and Indian star tortoises.
Commercial trade of the Indian star tortoise has been banned since 2019.
“The strategic location of Malaysia in Southeast Asia makes the country a hub for the smuggling of these exotic species,“ he stated, explaining the routes used by smugglers, either by road or in suitcases through commercial flights.
Traffic, a wildlife NGO, previously noted that Southeast Asian countries serve as sources, consumers, and transit points for wildlife trafficked both within the region and globally.
