KUCHING: Police have seized 16,367kg of illegal bird's nests worth RM81.8mil in 10 raids in Sarawak under Ops Bersepadu Khazanah.
Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said six suspects were also arrested in the raids, which were conducted in and around Kuching from June 1 to 16.
He said the case was being investigated under Sections 33(1) and 33(2) of the Sarawak Wildlife Protection Ordinance for collecting, selling and possessing edible bird's nests without a valid licence from the Controller of Wildlife.
"The suspects have been handed over to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation for further action," he told a press conference at the Sarawak General Operations Force headquarters here on Monday (June 6).
Comm Mohd Yusri said initial investigations found that the seized bird's nests were intended for export to other countries.
"What we seized was on a large scale and most of it was meant for foreign markets," he said, adding that the seized nests came from swiftlet farms and were not harvested from the wild.
He also said the seizures and arrests in Sarawak represented the biggest success of Ops Bersepadu Khazanah, which was carried out nationwide on June 1-16.
"With this success, we have crippled the illegal processing and trade of edible bird's nests for commercial purposes around Kuching," he said.
Besides the bird's nests, Comm Mohd Yusri said police also seized 223 birds, eight eagles, two pangolins, 790 turtle eggs, 4,238 tortoises and 218 salamanders in various raids under Op Bersepadu Khazanah.
Also seized were nine mammals of various species, 116 exotic fish, 959 fighting cocks, 14 animal microchips, 7,600 tree seedlings and 1,673 logs.
The seizures were worth an estimated RM98.4mil in total, while 62 individuals for alleged involvement in various wildlife offences.
