MUAR: After keeping watch on the activities of a group for two weeks, marine police here swooped in on them and seized 62 pangolins valued at over RM100,000.
Some 31 live pangolins were found in two cars near a house in Taman Tasik Ria in Tangkak and in the living room of a house while another 31 frozen pangolins were found in a freezer in the kitchen.
Muar marine police officer Insp Mohd Naser Marzuke said the team also seized the two cars used to transport the animals in the 9pm raid on Tuesday.
Rescue mission: Mohd Faizal (second from right), Insp Mohd Naser (third from right) and other officers inspecting the seized pangolins in Tangkak Wednesday. “Our team was monitoring the movements of suspects believed to be involved with pangolin smuggling and spotted their cars in Tangkak.
“However, when the team followed the cars to a house, the men abandoned the cars and fled,” he told reporters at the Muar marine police jetty yesterday.
Insp Mohd Naser said there were three men in each car but they managed to run to the back of the house and disappeared into the dark.
The team then checked the house and found 13 sacks with live pangolins in the living room and 31 frozen ones in a freezer.
All the pangolins were taken to the Muar marine police jetty before being surrendered to the Wildlife Department.
Meanwhile, Muar Wildlife and National Parks Department chief Mohd Faizal Moin said pangolins were protected animals and smugglers could be charged under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
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