Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Forestry has foiled an attempt to smuggle eight endemic monitor lizards out of Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.
Officers apprehended a South Korean national, identified by his initials JJ, after discovering live reptiles concealed in his luggage prior to an international flight on July 28.
“We will continue to strengthen synergy at the exit points, including information exchange and early detection of smuggling methods,” Head of the Forestry Law Enforcement Agency for Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara Aswin Bangun said in Jakarta on Sunday.
“Investigators are also continuing to investigate the origin of the animals and the parties involved,” he added.
A joint force consisting of Ministry of Forestry Law Enforcement officers, the Jakarta Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), Airport Aviation Security (Avsec), Customs and Quarantine personnel carried out the interdiction.
Upon inspecting the suspect’s suitcase, officers recovered six Green Monitor Lizards (Varanus prasinus) and two Aru Monitor Lizards (Varanus beccarii). The live reptiles were individually wrapped in cloth bags to evade detection.
The confiscated animals were immediately transferred to conservation authorities for medical care, while JJ was named a suspect and taken into custody by the ministry for further legal proceedings.
Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement Dwi Januanto Nugroho noted that the bust underscores a persistent pattern of foreign nationals attempting to traffic native Indonesian fauna abroad.
Previous interceptions at Soekarno-Hatta Airport include 202 reptiles smuggled by Russian nationals, 134 reptiles by Egyptian nationals, 103 reptiles involving Dutch and Lithuanian nationals and 13 live birds by Chinese nationals.
An additional smuggling attempt targeting Oman was also thwarted in June 2026.
“Repeated disclosures at airports indicate that the illegal trade in Indonesian wildlife is exploiting cross-border routes,” Januanto said.
“Our response is not sufficient only at the departure gate, supervision must be strengthened from source to exit, accompanied by cooperation with authorities in destination countries, including through Interpol,” he emphasized.
The ministry reaffirmed that cracking down on cross-border wildlife crime remains a central policy objective to protect the nation’s biodiversity.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna Violleta, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Primayanti
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