PETALING JAYA: Authorities have seized 45 suspected animal horns from the luggage of an Indonesian passenger who arrived at Penang International Airport from Guangzhou, China.
The seizure was made by the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) on Aug 20 during an inspection of the 57-year-old man’s baggage.
AKPS said the items, valued at about RM5,000, were carried without the required permit or valid documentation under Section 68(1)(b) of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).
“All 45 suspected animal horns were seized and handed over to the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) for further action,” it said in a statement yesterday.
The passenger had arrived on a China Southern flight from Guangzhou when he was stopped by enforcement officers.
Authorities have stepped up enforcement against wildlife smuggling at Malaysia’s entry points in recent years.
Earlier this week, the Perhilitan K9 Wildlife Detection Unit stepped up cargo monitoring at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to counter air-route wildlife trafficking.
Perhilitan said that a joint operation with the KLIA Cargo AKPS was carried out for almost a month, from mid-July to mid-August, as an enforcement action through monitoring cargo at the KLIA cargo centre.
It said the K9 Unit detected the scent present on wooden pallets and cargo boxes to identify items related to wildlife smuggling, including elephant tusks, pangolin scales and tiger bones, as well as live wildlife hidden in luggage and cargo boxes by syndicates.
Perhilitan said the K9 Unit serves both as a scent-detection tool and as a deterrent against international smuggling networks.
In May 2025, AKPS and other enforcement agencies at KLIA seized more than 300 exotic and protected animals hidden in the luggage of two men. The haul, which included iguanas, monitor lizards, cuscuses and red-eared sliders, was estimated at RM460,000.
Another major case involved 50 rhinoceros horns seized near KLIA in September 2021. The horns were estimated to be worth more than RM30mil, with two Malaysians arrested in connection with the seizure.
More recently, Perhilitan said it recorded RM398.6mil in seizures through its Khazanah Integrated Operations between 2019 and 2025, covering wildlife crime, illegal forest activities and other related offences.
The operations resulted in 834 investigation papers being opened during the period.
