KUCHING: Over 16 tonnes of illegal bird’s nests worth RM81.8mil were seized in police raids in Sarawak, says Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri.
The Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director said six suspects were arrested during Op Bersepadu Khazanah operations conducted in and around Kuching from June 1 to 16.
“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 yesterday.
The case is being investigated under Sections 33(1) and 33(2) of the Sarawak Wildlife Protection Ordinance, which penalises collecting, selling and possessing edible bird’s nests without a valid licence from the Controller of Wildlife.
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 Op Bersepadu Khazanah, which was carried out nationwide last month.
“With this success, we have crippled the illegal processing and trade of edible bird’s nests for commercial purposes around Kuching,” he said.
