Attempt to smuggle 624 exotic animals foiled

PASIR PUTEH: The Region 3 marine police force foiled an attempt to smuggle out 624 exotic animals worth RM241,840 at Kampung Air Tawar in Tok Bali.

“The animals include tortoises, softshell turtles and monitor lizards, ” said its commander Asst Comm Norzaid Muhammad Said.

The raid took place at about 6pm on Friday.

“We detained four suspects, including three Vietnamese, aged between 18 and 40, ” he told a press conference here.

ACP Norzaid said a Proton Iswara and a weighing scale were also seized.

During the raid, the suspects were loading the animals, believed to be bound for Vietnam, onto a boat.

“We believe that the animals which were obtained from Machang, Perak and Pahang were meant to be smuggled out using the sea route, ” he said.

The suspects have been remanded for four days and the case is being investigated under the Wildlife Conservation Act.

The raid was conducted after 10 days of surveillance and intelligence work. — Bernama