Zulkifli (centre) showing parts of the smuggled wildlife body parts seized during a press conference at the Seri Alam police headquarters. Looking on are Comm Khalil (left) and Jamalun.
JOHOR BARU: Police have crippled a syndicate believed to be involved in smuggling wildlife animal parts into Johor from Indonesia.
Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah said the syndicate has been operating in the state since 2010.
He said five local men, aged between 29 and 72 years, were detained in an operation codenamed Ops Rimau on July 12 with the cooperation of officers from the Johor Wildlife Department.
Zulkifli said in the first raid at about 6pm, four suspects were detained in a house in Taman Johor Jaya here and about 13.8kg of wildlife parts were seized.
He said a suspect was caught at a house in an orchard in Ulu Tiram and 23.5kg of wildlife parts were also seized.
"The seized wildlife parts have a street value of RM1mil and they were bound for the China market," Zulkifli said in a press conference at Seri Alam police district headquarters here on Sunday (July 15).
Also present were Johor police chief Comm Datuk Comm Khalil Laser Mohd and Johor Wildlife Department director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim.
"We believed the seized items are for medicines, sex stimulants and ornaments in the Chinese market," said Zulkifli.
He said Bukit Aman would work together with Indonesia and Chinese police over the case.
The case is being investigated under Section 68 of the Wildlife Protection Act 2010.
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