Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry successfully thwarted the online trade of protected wildlife body parts from Indonesia to foreign countries, including the United States. Two suspected perpetrators were arrested in Sukabumi Regency, West Java Province, on March 18, 2025.
The suspects, identified as BH (32 years old), the owner, and NJ (23 years old), the seller for international transactions, were found in possession of various protected wildlife body parts, including 70 primate skulls (orangutans, macaques, and monkeys), 6 hornbill beaks (Bucerotidae), 2 bear skulls, 2 babirusa skulls, 8 bear claws, 2 shark teeth, and 4 civet skulls.
“Crimes involving protected flora and fauna (TSL) are transnational offenses and rank as the fourth largest illicit trade in the world after drug trafficking, illegal firearms, and human trafficking,” said the Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
This case also indicates that the hunting of protected wildlife, such as orangutans, continues. Therefore, the Directorate General of Forestry Law Enforcement (Gakkum) has established the Transnational Forestry and Wildlife Crimes Special Task Force and the Money Laundering Special Task Force. As a result, Dwi Januanto stated that his agency would extend legal action to include beneficial ownership investigations and collaborate with both domestic and international law enforcement agencies.
“The Forestry Law Enforcement Team remains committed to uncovering protected wildlife crime cases by cooperating with domestic ministries/agencies and international institutions such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS),” he emphasized.
Recognizing the critical role of protected wildlife in maintaining biodiversity, ecosystems, and conservation areas, Dwi Januanto asserted that strict actions must be taken against perpetrators. “They must face the harshest possible punishment to create a deterrent effect and serve as an example to others,” he stressed.
The Director of Forestry Criminal Investigation, Rudianto Saragih Napitu, explained that this case was uncovered through cooperation between the Ministry of Forestry, the Indonesian National Police Intelligence and Security Agency (Baintelkam Polri), and international collaboration with USFWS.
The case was initially uncovered after the USFWS informed Indonesian authorities of a shipment of protected wildlife parts from Indonesia that was seized in the United States in early March 2025. This information was then followed up by the Cyber Patrol Team of the Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate General of Law Enforcement, which successfully tracked and profiled the online seller’s account. Subsequently, the Ministry’s Law Enforcement Team launched an operation targeting the illegal trade of protected wildlife and arrested the two perpetrators. According to the suspects, they had been engaged in this trade for over a year, conducting more than ten transactions with buyers in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The suspects will undergo a series of investigations and legal proceedings by Civil Servant Investigators (PPNS) of the Ministry of Forestry’s Law Enforcement Directorate General. They face potential criminal charges under forestry law, with a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a fine of up to IDR 5 billion.
