KUALA LUMPUR – Eleven individuals including a foreigner were arrested and wildlife worth RM4.96 million were seized through eight series of Op Bersepadu Khazanah conducted nationwide from January 1 until last Thursday.
Royal Malaysia Police secretary Datuk Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin said one of the raids, conducted to clamp down on illegal wildlife trading and poaching, as well as theft of national forest products, has received recognition from the Global Tiger Forum – an international body exclusively set up for the conservation of tigers in the wild.
“The acknowledgement was received following the arrest of a man in Selangor and seizure of 69 wild animals estimated to be worth RM1.2 million by the Wildlife Crime Bureau and the police special intelligence (unit),” she said in a statement today.
All the cases were investigated under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 and Section 15 (1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Noorsiah said in last year’s operation, a total of 23 cases were recorded and the seizures were estimated to be worth RM2.68 million.
She said as a result of the operation, various wildlife categorised as protected species such as rock magpies, blue monkeys, stone cats, hill myna birds, eagles, fox, iguana and jungle fowl were saved.
She said in last year’s operation too, the police managed to uncover animal smuggling activities by sea using fishing boats after two men, including a Vietnamese man, were arrested in Kelantan.
She said following the arrest, 59 iron cages containing foxes and a cage containing a white-breasted waterhen were seized. – Bernama, February 19, 2023
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