Indonesian police have arrested two men suspected of being part of a ring that poaches and trades in endangered animals. They also seized several lion and leopard cubs and dozens of turtles from them.
One of the suspects, identified only as Yatno, was arrested Saturday in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, after picking up suspicious boxes from a speedboat at a port in Dumai district, said Andri Sudarmadi, Riau police's chief detective.
A police officer plays with a lion cub prior to the start of a press conference in Kampar, Riau, Indonesia, Sunday, December 15, 2019. /AP Photo
Police found several boxes containing four lion cubs, a leopard cub and 58 turtles in his van. The turtles and the leopard cub are listed as critically endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, while the lion cubs are listed as endangered.
Riau Police Chief Maj. Gen. Agung Setya(center) speaks to the media as smuggled animals, including lion and leopard cubs are displayed during a press conference in Kampar, Riau, Indonesia, Sunday, December 15, 2019. /AP Photo
Yatno's arrest led police to capture another suspect who was planning to sell the smuggled wildlife to a trader on Java island, Sudarmadi said at a news conference. The second suspect was identified only by his initials, IS. The two men were allegedly part of an international trafficking syndicate.
They told police each cub is valued at 32,000 US dollars on the black market, while the turtles fetch 1,200 US dollars apiece. The two suspects, if found guilty, face up to five years in jail and 7,000 US dollars in fines for attempting to smuggle wildlife.
(Cover image via AP. Editor: Li Yunqi.)
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