PERAK/KEDAH: Police have dismantled an illegal wildlife hunting and trafficking network following raids in Perak and Kedah.
The Bukit Aman Wildlife Crime Bureau, alongside local enforcement agencies, arrested five suspects and seized contraband worth over RM350,000.
In Lumut, Perak, four men aged 31 to 61 were detained after authorities discovered seven wild boar carcasses, 148 packages of water monitor lizard parts, and 80 packages suspected to contain wild boar meat. A live monitor lizard, a rifle, bullets, and tiger claw pendants were also confiscated.
JKDNKA director Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim stated, “The total value of the items seized in the Lumut raid was estimated at RM150,895.” The case is being investigated under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 and the Arms Act 1960.
In Kupang, Kedah, a 30-year-old man was arrested with 20 protected white-rumped sharma birds worth RM200,000. The Kedah Forestry Department is handling further investigations.
Azmi highlighted that since January, 178 raids nationwide led to 311 arrests, involving contraband worth RM546.26 million. He urged public cooperation in reporting wildlife crimes. - Bernama
