Three people were apprehended in Riau on Wednesday for presumably trading elephant tusks.
They were identified as YP, a 52- years-old teacher from Jambi, YS, a 52- year-old male working for a personal business, and WG, a 68- year-old farmer from Riau.
” Each person has a different function. YP was the seller, YS functioned as the middleman, while WG was a potential client,” Riau Police unique criminal offense department head Sr. Comr. Andri Sudarmadi stated on Friday.
Local authorities first received a pointer about prohibited ivory trading numerous months back, he stated, triggering the Riau Cops to form an unique investigation group to track down the perpetrators involved.
On Wednesday, the team followed the 3 suspects as they drove from WP ' s home to a workshop in Jake village, Central Kuantan, a district in Kuantan Senggigi regency.
The 3 were detained as they were making a deal inside the workshop at around 11 a.m., Andri stated.
Police workers found two 80- centimeter-long elephant tusks wrapped in a burlap sack in the suspects ' automobile. The tusks were carved and filled with cement.
” We think that the possible purchaser planned to resell the tusks in Pekanbaru,” he said. “We ' re presently investigating the case further to track down and jail the poachers included.”
The authorities are coordinating with the Riau Natural Resource Preservation Agency (BBKSDA) to identify where the tusks came from.
According to the cops, the suspects told them it was their very first time trying to trade elephant tusks.
” They had an interest in offering elephant tusks because of their high economic value. A set of tusks can cost Rp 100 million [US$7,033],” Andri stated.
The suspects were charged under Article 21 and Post 40 of Law No. 5/1990 on natural resources and ecosystem conservation and Post 55 of the Crook Code, which brings an optimal sentence of 5 years in prison and a fine of Rp 100 million.
Poaching is a significant cause of elephant deaths in the country every year. The problem is exacerbated by rampant deforestation, which has minimized the elephants’ natural environment and brought them into conflict with human beings. (nal)
