TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Police destroy 13.8 tons of rare anteater meat in South Sumatra
Police in Palembang, South Sumatra, have destroyed 13
Change Size
Police in Palembang, South Sumatra, have destroyed 13.8 tons of seized anteater (Manis javanica) meat and scales in the presence of high-ranking National Police officers and officials from other relevant agencies.
Officers from the provincial and national police forces had confiscated the meat and hides of this rare and protected scaly anteater, or pangolin, in a July 30 raid.
The confiscated meat and scales represents an estimated loss of Rp 25.4 billion (US$2.7 million) for the state, which controls export and charges customs duties on legal sales.
South Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Ito Sumardi D.S. said police would unquestionably charge suspects involved in the case, especially since it had received so much attention overseas. Police speculated from preliminary investigations foreign financiers were likely involved in the illegal trade of this protected species.
"We are also questioning a number of individuals from the police who are believed to be involved in the case," Sumardi said on Thursday, addressing the probable involvement of government officials.
He said police had named three suspects so far. They were identified only by their initials: a Malaysian citizen, EKS, alias ASG, HSH and MRS, both from Palembang.
Police said the smuggling method was simple but still deceived authorities.
Smuggling pangolin meat is in violation of Law 50/1990 on natural resource and ecosystem conservation and carries a maximum sentence of five years and a Rp 100 million fine.
The illegal trade started when residents, usually farmers, captured pangolins in the province. They sold them to collectors, who were employed by financiers of the trafficking operation. The collected pangolins were then brought to the warehouse in Palembang, which the police busted on July 30.
"Dead pangolins were cleaned, weighed, packed and kept in cold storage ready for consignment. Live pangolins were weighed and then clubbed to death," police said one of the suspects admitted recently.
According to sources, the pangolins are simmered in hot water to separate the scales from the hide. Only their intestines are discarded, the meat and organs are sold for consumption. The coveted scales are used as ingredients in traditional medicine and cosmetics and turned into wallets, handbags and shirt buttons.
Frozen pangolin meat is usually destined for restaurants in China, Taiwan or Hong Kong, transiting through Malaysia or Vietnam.
From Palembang, pangolin meat and scales packed in containers were sent by intercity buses to Bakauheni Port in Lampung. The containers were there mixed with fish consignments or disguised by false fish documentation. They were later transported by ferry to ports in Jakarta or Bangka.
