Indonesian police said Sunday that they have arrested two men suspected of being part of a ring that poaches and trades in endangered animals and seized from them several lion and leopard cubs and dozens of turtles.
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.
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.
A police officer plays with a lion cub prior to the start of a press conference in Kampar, Riau, Indonesia, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. Indonesian police said Sunday that they have arrested two men suspected being part of a ring that poaches and trades in endangered animals and seized from them lion and leopard cubs and dozens of turtle, police said Sunday. (AP PhotoRifka Majjid)
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.
Sudarmadi said that the two men were allegedly part of an international trafficking syndicate and that they bought the haul from a smuggler in Malaysia.
They told police each cub is valued at $32,000 on the black market, while the turtles fetch $1,200 apiece, Sudarmadi said.
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, Dec. 15, 2019. Indonesian police said Sunday that they have arrested two men suspected being part of a ring that poaches and trades in endangered animals and seized from them lion and leopard cubs and dozens of turtle, police said Sunday. (AP PhotoRifka Majjid)
The two suspects, if found guilty, face up to five years in jail and $7,000 in fines for attempting to smuggle wildlife.