RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - What appeared on paper to be a routine export of sea cucumbers and dried food products concealed an illicit cargo destined for the overseas market. The physical inspection revealed nearly three tons of pangolin scales, marking one of Indonesia's largest recent wildlife trafficking seizures.

The Ministry of Forestry confirmed on Monday, May 25, 2026, the detention of a suspect identified only by the initials TT. The arrest is connected to an attempt to smuggle approximately 3,053 kilograms of Sunda pangolin scales (Manis javanica) to Cambodia through Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta.

The case unraveled on February 12, 2026, when inspectors examining a shipping container at Tanjung Priok discovered something the export documents had not declared. Although the cargo was listed as sea cucumber and dried food products, a physical inspection revealed 99 cartons packed with pangolin scales.

"The disguise as sea cucumber and dried food shows that the perpetrators attempted to use legal export channels to bring body parts of protected animals to illegal overseas markets," said Head of the Environmental and Forestry Law Enforcement Center for the Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara Region, Aswin Bangun.

The arrest of TT, authorities say, is only the beginning. Investigators are now working to dismantle what they describe as a multi-layered smuggling network spanning collection, storage, document processing, and international shipment. A fictitious exporter company was allegedly used as a legal front to facilitate the operation.

"Investigators are currently tracing the identity of the goods' owner, those who handled the documentation, and parties who used a fictitious export company as a formality. The investigation is also directed at uncovering the shipping facilitators and the masterminds who profited from this smuggling," explained Aswin, as quoted by Antara.

Beyond TT, investigators have identified and are actively pursuing individuals suspected of owning the contraband. Aswin emphasized that the case would not end with the arrest of lower-level operatives.

"That is why we are strengthening coordination with Customs, the Civil Servant Investigator (PPNS) Supervisory Coordinator of the Metro Jaya Regional Police, and relevant agencies so that this case does not stop at the technical perpetrators," he added.

Director General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, placed the seizure within a broader national commitment to protecting Indonesia's wildlife heritage. He stressed that the state must engage the entire trafficking chain rather than just its final link at the port.

"Illegal wildlife trade does not begin at the port. The chain starts with hunting in the wild, collection in the regions, storage, and then entry into logistics channels and foreign markets. Therefore, the state must be present from upstream to downstream, strengthening routine patrols, area security, community information, and coordination with the Natural Resources Conservation Agency, National Park Offices, Forest Police, local governments, and area stakeholders," said Dwi Januanto.

The Sunda pangolin is listed as a critically endangered species and is among the most heavily trafficked mammals in the world, driven primarily by demand in East and Southeast Asia for its scales, which are used in traditional medicine. ***