Joint Raid Foils Smuggling of 100 Papuan Birds at Tanjung Priok

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Authorities foiled an attempt to traffic nearly 100 protected Papuan wildlife by exposing a logistics-based smuggling route through Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok port. This major interception underscores how criminal networks exploit industrial transport corridors to move endangered species.

The Ministry of Forestry, in a joint operation with the Indonesian National Police and the Military Police, intercepted the illegal shipment during a coordinated raid at Tanjung Priok on 6–7 June 2026. Director of Forestry Criminal Enforcement, Rudianto Saragih Napitu, said the Directorate General of Law Enforcement worked with the Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) and the Military Police after receiving intelligence on a maritime route used for trafficking.

In a statement in Jakarta on Friday, 12 June 2026, he said the operation revealed distribution channels and roles within the network. “We ensure the animals are placed in the Wildlife Rescue Center (PPS), while we secure documents, statements, and their distribution routes. From there it becomes clear who did what, who sent them, who picked them up, who harbored them. We will push the case up step by step, not stopping at those who carried them,” he said, as quoted by Antara.

During the operation, investigators detained two alleged accomplices identified by initials BI and ZF for questioning. Officials found many of the animals without lawful ownership or transport documents, and investigators continue tracing senders, handlers, and networks profiting from the illicit trade.

About 100 wild animals have been entrusted to the Wildlife Rescue Center (PPS) Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) Tegal Alur in Jakarta for immediate care and health checks. The seized specimens include a variety of protected birds endemic to Papua, such as 4 Eclectus parrots (Eclectus roratus), 2 Sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita), 19 Lories (Lorius lory), 6 Black Lories (Chalcopsitta atra), 14 Victoria crowned pigeons (Goura victoria), and 3 Wompoo fruit doves (Ptilinopus magnificus).

Also recovered were 19 Crimson Finches (Neochmia phaeton), 2 Yellow-billed Kingfishers (Psittrichas fulgidus), 3 Dusky Lories (Chalcopsitta duivenbodei), and 28 Rainbow Grass Parrots (Trichoglossus haematodus).

Director General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, warned that protected-species trafficking has evolved into a logistics-driven business that crosses regions and can link to transnational networks.

“The pattern crosses regions and can be connected across countries, so we handle it with a multi-door and cross-agency approach. We are strengthening tracing of financial flows with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), and if the chain crosses countries, we will escalate handling through international cooperation, including Interpol,” he said.

The ministry emphasized that tackling protected wildlife trade remains a strategic national agenda to safeguard Indonesia’s irreplaceable biodiversity, especially endemic species.

The case at Tanjung Priok highlights both the vulnerability of remote wildlife to organized trafficking and the growing emphasis on interagency and international responses to dismantle the networks behind such crimes. ***