Pangolin scales trade cracked

Game over: A storeroom above a tyre factory in Klang was raided by the MACC, leading to the discovery of dozens of sacks containing pangolin scales. Sources said the scales were due to be sold off. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Tasked with disposing of pangolin scales, unscrupulous enforcement officers instead passed them over to a syndicate to sell on the black market.

However, their illicit trade was sniffed out by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), leading to the dismantling of the syndicate’s operation following an operation.

The Star joined the raid at the syndicate’s storeroom, which was hidden in plain sight above a tyre factory in an industrial park in Klang.

The operation dubbed Ops Jaguar also saw raids in other areas in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, which resulted in six arrests.

At 10.42am yesterday, plainclothes graft busters raided the storeroom, catching several syndicate workers by surprise.

It is learnt that the “green light” to conduct the raid was given after the MACC had confirmed sales were being made by the syndicate there.

The workers then led the officers to the upper floor where the pangolin scales were kept in sacks.

The operation saw the seizure of 97 sacks of pangolin scales, amounting to nearly 1,800kg in weight.

The scales are estimated to be worth around RM23.4mil and destined to be sold.

The six suspects were arrested through the raids with intelligence gathering by MACC partners overseas.

“They (the syndicate) are believed to be the middlemen who would find customers interested in buying embalmed animals on the black market. They are also the store keeper,” a source said.

Sources also said the syndicate was believed to have bribed enforcement agency officers to allow them to take items meant for disposal from a Customs Department warehouse and sold them off for profits.

In Kuala Lumpur, the MACC also seized several luxury cars which they believed were linked to the syndicate.

Sources said Malaysia is believed to be a transit hub for wildlife smuggling and similar activities.

When contacted, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed the arrests, adding that the suspects comprised Malaysians and foreigners, including from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

He said they were tracking down several other individuals and that more arrests, including personnel from the enforcement agencies, could be made.