Javan Pangolins Face Rising Threat from Scale Smuggling
- 24 Jul 2026 19:33 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Poin Utama
- The Ministry of Forestry is pursuing legal action against a pangolin trafficking network in Central Java to dismantle the illegal wildlife trade chain.
- Authorities named a suspect following an investigation linked to the seizure of more than 3.8 tons of smuggled pangolin scales at Tanjung Priok and Merak ports.
RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Ministry of Forestry is pursuing legal action against a pangolin trafficking network in Central Java. The move comes as the Javan pangolin (Manis javanica) population faces increasing pressure from high demand for its scales on the international black market.
To respond to this biodiversity threat, the ministry has taken firm action against the illegal trade network in Central Java in an effort to break the poaching chain from upstream to downstream.
Head of the Forestry Law Enforcement Center for the Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara regions, Aswin Bangun, said the naming of EO as a suspect in Semarang was the result of further investigation into pangolin trafficking. The case is also linked to the smuggling of 3,053 kilograms of pangolin scales at Tanjung Priok Port and 796.34 kilograms at Merak Port.
“The investigation does not stop at seizing evidence or arresting perpetrators in the field. Instead, it continues to uncover the entire criminal chain, from hunters, collectors, suppliers, and shippers to receiving networks abroad,” said Aswin in a statement confirmed from Jakarta on Friday, July 24, 2026.
As reported by Antara, EO was caught red-handed with three live pangolins and 20 kilograms of scales from the protected animal during an operation conducted by the Ministry of Forestry.
He was then named a suspect and faces a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a maximum fine of IDR 5 billion (USD 278,500). After all formal and material requirements were declared complete, the suspect and evidence were handed over to prosecutors for the trial process.
Director General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, said illegal pangolin trafficking is a crime against Indonesia’s biological wealth. He said this environmental crime has now developed into a transnational threat.
The Javan pangolin is a protected species whose population continues to be pressured by hunting and illegal trade. The animal is traded both alive and hunted for its scales to meet illegal market demand at home and abroad.
“The Ministry of Forestry continues to develop every case to uncover links between perpetrators, commodity flows, shipping patterns, and the parties controlling and profiting from the illegal trade. Law enforcement is not only aimed at stopping a single shipment, but also at breaking the network that turns Indonesia’s biological wealth into a commodity for the international black market,” said Januanto. ***
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