Indonesia Dismantles Wildlife Trafficking Network in Central Papua
- 02 Okt 2026 09:59 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- Forestry officers and police dismantled wildlife trafficking operations in Mimika and named four suspects.
- Authorities seized 534 pig-nosed turtle eggs and products made from protected cassowary and bird-of-paradise parts.
RRI.CO.ID, Mimika - Illegal wildlife trafficking networks operating in Central Papua have been dealt a severe blow after Ministry of Forestry law enforcement officers dismantled local distribution channels in Mimika Regency and named four suspects.
Joint enforcement operations led by the Maluku and Papua Forestry Law Enforcement Agency (Gakkum) alongside the Mimika Police exposed sophisticated smuggling tactics designed to bypass wildlife controls, including the illicit trade of protected species derivatives and bulk reptile eggs.
Officers seized commercial products crafted from protected Cassowary and Bird-of-Paradise (Cenderawasih) body parts across three commercial outlets in Mimika Baru District, leading to the arrest of suspects R (32), MN (34), and M (46).
A secondary raid on a rented property in Kaperapoka Village intercepted a major wildlife trafficking operation, resulting in the confiscation of 534 eggs of the endangered pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) and the arrest of suspect A (56).
Interrogations revealed an evolving smuggling modus operandi where trafficking syndicates transport protected reptile eggs instead of live animals to evade transport detection, intending to incubate and hatch the specimens at destination markets.
Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement Dwi Januanto Nugroho emphasized that law enforcement strategies must adapt swiftly to counter shifting illegal wildlife trade tactics that exploit Papua's biodiversity.
"Trafficking schemes using eggs to be hatched at final destinations require us to read changes faster and respond with increasingly adaptive law enforcement," Dwi said in a statement on Thursday, October 1, 2026, as quoted on the ministry's official website.
Head of the Maluku and Papua Forestry Gakkum Agency Fredrik E. Tumbel confirmed that investigators are expanding the inquiry to map the complete supply chain, trace the origin of the 534 turtle eggs, and identify downstream buyers and accomplices.
All four suspects face charges under Law No. 32/2024 on the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems, which mandates strict criminal penalties for trading protected species, their parts, or their eggs. ***
News Recomendation
Loading latest news.....