JOHOR BARU: An Indonesian man was arrested by the police on Sunday for alleged smuggling of Syabu and various kinds of birds to a neighbouring country.
Johor Region Two Marine Police commander ACP Paul Khiu Khon Chiang said the arrest was made during the operation codenamed Ops Landai at the Sungai Rengit coast in Kota Tinggi, at about 11.10pm.
While the raid was underway, the 30-year-old suspect was loading some baskets and wooden boxes containing the birds onto a fibre boat located at the seaside.
“A search on the fibre boat revealed packets believed to contain Syabu weighing about 1kg, worth some RM120,000 (according to market prices).
“The raiding team also found seven wooden boxes and baskets containing various kinds of birds believed to be for smuggling into neighboring countries. The birds include 50 ‘Murai Batu’ (white-rumped shama), Wambi (100 birds) and 40 ‘Poksay’ (black-throated laughingthrush),” he said in a statement here today.
Khiu said the birds would normally be sold in neighboring countries for between RM200 to RM300 each.
“But if the bird is already singing (good at singing) and its tail is long, it can fetch upwards of RM10,000,“ he said.
He said all the items including the fibre boat used by the suspect to carry out the smuggling had been seized under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 and the Immigration Act 1959/63. — Bernama
