Officers Thwart Sales Of Tiger Preserves And 2 Elephant Ivory Cusps In Jambi, The Total Reaches IDR 210 Million

Opsetan / Awetan tigers that were secured by officers (Photo: Humas of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry)

JAKARTA - The Sumatra Region's Ministry for Law Enforcement (Gakkum) together with the Jambi Regional Police succeeded in thwarting the sale of the Sumatran tiger and two elephant tusks.

By the evidence, the officers also arrested three people who were involved in this case. The first perpetrator, with the initials AW (55), was arrested on March 23 at an inn on Jalan Lintas Sumatera KM3, Mensawang Village, Bangko District, Merangin Regency, Jambi Province.

The perpetrator admitted that he would sell a tiger preserved for IDR 150 million. Furthermore, two perpetrators who sold elephant ivory, HL (53) and JAG (31) were secured in front of one of the food stalls, Jalan Lintas Jambi Bungo, Manggis Village, Bungo Regency, Jambi Province, last March 24. The perpetrator admitted that he was going to sell two elephant tusks for IDR 60 million.

The head of the Sumatra Region Gakkum KLHK, Eduward Hutapea, gave his appreciation to the Jambi Tiger Brigade Operation Team for thwarting this animal trade transaction.

"We will continue to act to anticipate hunting and trafficking of protected animals to preserve them", said Eduward in an electronic message received by journalists, Tuesday, March 30.

Apart from elephant ivory and tiger preserved, the officers also secured a car with a white police number BH8178 KP, a white motorcycle, and three mobile phones.

Meanwhile, the Director of Forest Prevention and Security, Sustyo Iriyono, emphasized that the trade-in protected animals is an extraordinary crime.

"We continue to carry out law enforcement and enforcement efforts. We have also formed an Intelligence Team and Cyber Patrol to map out the illegal trade network", he said.

Furthermore, Sustyo emphasized that the Ministry of Environment and Forestry continues to be committed to saving wild plants and animals as a wealth of biological resources.

"The loss of biological resources will not only cause both economic and ecological losses for Indonesia but also loss of biological resources and the attention of the world community", concluded Sustyo.

The actions of the perpetrators were contrary to the provisions of Article 21 paragraph (2) letter d in conjunction with Article 40 paragraph (2) of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Living Natural Resources and their Ecosystems. The perpetrator is threatened with imprisonment of up to five years and a maximum fine of IDR 100 million. Currently, the perpetrators have been detained at the Jambi Police Detention Center.