Authorities in Indonesia reported on Tuesday that they thwarted a plot to traffic over a ton of endangered pangolin scales, valued at over a million dollars.
The 1.2 tons of scales, valued at 1.3 million dollars, were found on November 11 in the Asahan district of North Sumatra province.
They were apparently intended to be sent to China through Malaysia and Singapore, said Rasio Ridho Sani, director general of law enforcement at the Ministry of Environment.
The Crime of Scale Trafficking
It was reported at a press conference that four suspects, including three military members, were found with some scales and will be charged with illegal possession of bodies of protected animals.
Sani stated that further investigations led to the discovery of the rest of the scales in a house owned by one of the suspects in Asahan.
If declared guilty, the four men face up to 20 years in prison and fines of $314,000.
Sani estimated that the scales came from at least 5,900 dead pangolins.
Use of the Scales
The demand for pangolin scales and meat has led to poaching that is decimating populations across Asia.
Pangolin scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine and contain the protein keratin, although there is no scientific evidence that they provide any medicinal value. Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam and some parts of China.
Endangered Species
Out of the four Asian species, one is listed as endangered and the others as critically endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, making it illegal to trade them.
“Killing thousands of pangolins will disrupt the balance of nature and harm the ecosystem, thus harming the environment and society,” said Sani.
“The suspects must be punished with the maximum sentence to have a deterrent effect.”
Indonesian authorities have thwarted eight plots to smuggle pangolins or their scales this year, mainly on the island of Sumatra, indicating a high market demand, noted Sani.
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