SANDAKAN: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department has foiled an attempt to smuggle 100kg of pangolin scales worth RM1.3mil, intercepting the shipment at the Sandakan Airport cargo terminal earlier this month.
Investigators suspect it was to be routed through Peninsular Malaysia before being exported overseas.
Sabah Customs director Dr Ahmad Taufik Sulaiman said the scales were discovered during a routine inspection by officers from the Sandakan Customs Enforcement Division and the Sandakan Cargo Unit at about 2.30pm on July 6.
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Initial investigations found the scales had been transported here from Kota Kinabalu by express bus before being sent to the air cargo facility.
He said the scales were packed in black plastic bags and concealed inside five polystyrene boxes, each weighing about 20kg.
"The syndicate is believed to have falsely declared the shipment as 'other merchandise' for domestic delivery from Sandakan to Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
"It is believed this was done to deceive Customs officers and avoid obtaining the export permit required from the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD)," he told a press conference at Wisma Kastam Sandakan on Thursday (July 16).
While acknowledging the demand for pangolin scales in countries such as China, Ahmad Taufik said Customs could not confirm the intended destination at this stage.
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The case is being investigated under Section 10 of the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008 and the scales will be handed over to the SWD for safekeeping, he added.
Meanwhile, a conservationist estimates that the 100kg haul could be comprised of scales from more than 100 pangolins.
Shavez Cheema, founder of 1StopBorneo Wildlife, said an adult pangolin weighs between 5kg and 10kg, with the scales accounting 10% to 15% of its total body weight.
The seizure is the first pangolin scale case recorded by Sabah Customs this year.
It is the largest such seizure by the department since it confiscated about 8,000kg of pangolin scales worth more than RM100mil at Sepanggar Port in 2017.
That shipment, falsely declared as animal shells, was believed to have been destined for China.
Ahmad Taufik said the seizure was one of four enforcement cases by Sandakan Customs' Enforcement Division between June 3 and July 6.
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The total value of seized goods in all four cases, including duties and taxes, amounted to RM1,450,068.71.
The other seizures included 95,080 illicit cigarettes and 2,645 litres of diesel in three separate operations.
On June 15, officers found 80,000 suspected smuggled cigarettes abandoned in bushes near Kampung Bariawa, Batu 8. No suspects were at the scene. The seizure, including duties and taxes, was valued at RM72,160.
The following day, officers inspecting a picup trick opposite the Sedco shoplots discovered 15,080 suspected smuggled cigarettes of various brands.
The vehicle was estimated to be worth RM50,000, bringing the total seizure value, including duties and taxes, to RM63,969.56.
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On June 3, officers seized 2,645 litres of diesel stored in 60 jerrycans, a plastic water tank and a fish storage container at the Sandakan Public Market jetty.
The diesel was believed to have been stored illegally before export by sea without approval from the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry. The seizure, including duties and taxes, was valued at RM13,939.15.
Ahmad Taufik urged the public to help Customs combat smuggling by providing information on illegal activities.
Information can be channelled to the Customs toll-free hotline at 1-800-88-8855 or the nearest Customs office, with the identities of informants kept confidential, he added.
