Java police expose endangered animal smuggling syndicate

Police in East Java exposed a large cargo of endangered animals being smuggled out of Indonesia by a international syndicate of criminals yesterday (March 27). <br /><br />The arrest was made in Surabaya after police traced a suspect identified as 'RSL' trafficking the animals to his home, and arrested him on February 22. <br /><br />A full inventory of the retrieved animal cargo was shown at a police press conference on March 27.<br /><br />The syndicate had been smuggling various type of endangered animals including pangolins, Komodo dragons, otters, monkey, birds of prey and parrots among a host of other protected species. <br /><br />The smugglers are believe to have been operating since 2016, and are estimated to have sold 41 Komodo dragons abroad, which reportedly can sell individually for 15-20 million INR (around $1000-1400 USD).<br /><br />The suspects can face up to five years in jail and heavy fines for violating the environmental conservation laws.