Bid to smuggle out 1,400 tortoises
Published on: Thursday, December 08, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Attempts to smuggle out 1,400 tortoises were foiled by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) some 1.6 nautical miles between Pulau Sapi and Pulau Manukan, off here, on Wednesday.About 1,200 of the tortoises survived the ordeal, while 200 were already dead when they were rescued by the team.They were sourced from Kinarut but the exact origins are unclear.ADVERTISEMENT Several cases of turtle eggs either being smuggled in or out of the country have been reported over the past months. However, this was the first case recorded by MMEA involving tortoises this year. The rescued reptiles believed meant for exotic cuisine in Vietnam would be handed over to the Sabah Wildlife Department for further action. Six men, four of whom had no valid documents, aged between 23 and 44, were also detained following the seizure estimated worth RM42,000. ADVERTISEMENT Kota Kinabalu MMEA First Admiral Adam Aziz in a media conference, Wednesday, said the discovery was made after a local fishing boat was detected loading the tortoises onto a boat at Anjung Senja at about 9pm on Tuesday. The boat was spotted heading out to sea from Anjung Senja towards Pulau Mengalum about 40 nautical miles from here at about 30 minutes after midnight.
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He said the MMEA team intercepted the fishing boat about 1.6 nautical miles between Pulau Sapi and Pulau Manukan at about 3am. Subsequent inspections led to the discovery of the tortoises kept in several baskets hidden under the vessel's fish compartment. Further findings showed that the tortoises were obtained from a site in Kinarut and were loaded onto a boat at Anjung Senja before being sent to the Pulau Mengalum area.From there, the tortoises were meant to be loaded onto a foreign fishing boat which was waiting at the Pulau Mengalum waters before being smuggled out of the country. Adam said the bust came after three months of surveillance following a tip-off that there is a "towkay" collecting tortoises for trade in Kinarut."Investigations are still being done and this includes looking into where the tortoises are from," he said. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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He said the case is being probed under Section 41(4)(B) of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 which carries a fine of up to RM100,000 or five years jail if convicted.The four crew without valid documents will be investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63.