Indonesia seizes more than a ton of endangered pangolin scales said to be meant for Chinese clients

Indonesian authorities say they have foiled a plot to smuggle more than a ton of endangered pangolin scales worth over a million dollars

MEDAN, Indonesia -- Indonesian authorities said Tuesday they have foiled a plot to smuggle more than a ton of endangered pangolin scales worth over a million dollars.

The 1.2 tons of scales worth $1.3 million were found Nov. 11 in Asahan district of North Sumatra province and apparently were meant to be sent to China via Malaysia and Singapore, said Rasio Ridho Sani, director general of law enforcement at the environment ministry.

Sani told a news conference that four suspects, including three army members, were found with some of the scales and will be charged with illegal possession of carcasses of protected animals. He said further investigation led to the recovery of the rest of the scales at a house owned by one suspect in Asahan.

The four men, if found guilty, face up to 20 years in prison and $314,000 in fines.

Sani estimated that the scales come from at least 5.900 dead pangolins.

Demand for pangolin scales and meat has led to rampant poaching that is decimating populations across Asia. Pangolin scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine and contain the protein keratin, though there is no scientific proof that they provide any medicinal value. Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam and some parts of China.

Of the four Asian species, one is listed as endangered and the others as critically endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, and it is illegal to trade them.

“Killing thousands of pangolins will disrupt the balance of nature and damage the ecosystem, thereby harming the environment and society,” Sani said, “The suspects must be punished to the maximum sentence so that there is a deterrent effect.”

Indonesian authorities have foiled eight plots to smuggle pangolin or its scales this year, mostly on Sumatra island, indicating high market demand, Sani said.

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Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.