Indian national pleads not guilty over KLIA wildlife smuggling
Abdul Jaffar Mohideen Abdul Kadar, from Panpoli, Tamil Nadu, India, pleaded not guilty when four main and four optional charges under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716) were read to him in front of Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman.
He was charged with trying to export five...
Summary
A 50-year-old Indian national pleads not guilty to charges under the Wildlife Conservation Act.
Abdul Jaffar Mohideen Abdul Kadar was caught at KLIA with tortoises, turtles, and monitor lizards in his luggage on the way to Tamil Nadu.
He worked as a construction worker in Malaysia for 18 years.
An Indian national who tried to carry 14 animals of various species in his check-in luggage from Kuala Lumpur to Tamil Nadu was charged at the Sepang Sessions Court today.
Abdul Jaffar Mohideen Abdul Kadar, from Panpoli, Tamil Nadu, India, pleaded not guilty when four main and four optional charges under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716) were read to him in front of Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman.
He was charged with trying to export five harlequin monitor lizards and four Sulawesi forest turtles (above), which are protected animals, without a special permit, under Section 71 of the Act.
Section 71 carries a fine of RM50,000 to RM500,000, up to three years’ imprisonment, or both.
He was also charged with possessing the animals without a special permit, under Section 68(1)(a).
Section 68(1)(a) carries a fine of RM20,000 for each animal, not exceeding the aggregate of RM1 million, and imprisonment not exceeding seven years and six months.
He was also charged with trying to export three African spurred tortoises and two lace monitor lizards, which are protected animals, without a special permit under Section 65.
Section 65 carries a fine of RM20,000 to RM50,000 and imprisonment not exceeding a year.
He was also charged with possessing the same animals without a special permit, under Section 60(1)(a), which carries a fine of not more than RM50,000, or imprisonment not exceeding three years, or both.
Abdul Jaffar Mohideen was detained by authorities with the animals at Gate H8, Terminal 1, of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), at 9pm, on April 15.
The 50-year-old construction worker had worked in Malaysia for 18 years.
He was represented by Khairunnisa Azzahrah Ghazalie, while the deputy public prosecutor was Danial Munir.
Judge Ahmad Fuad denied bail for the accused and set the case for mention on May 27.
Series of wildlife trafficking via KLIA
On April 20, KLIA Aviation Security personnel and Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) officers nabbed another Indian national trying to smuggle wildlife out of Malaysia.
Acting on intelligence, the team and KLIA auxiliary police stopped a man who was flying to Tiruchirappalli International Airport, India.
After detaining the suspect, they conducted further checks on his luggage and rescued an agile gibbon along with six red-eared slider turtles.
Perhilitan said the man also failed to produce permits to export the animals out of the country.
The Sepang Magistrate Court granted a five-day remand order on the suspect until Friday.
These were among a spate of wildlife trafficking cases involving airline passengers travelling via KLIA in the past few months.
Wildlife trafficking hub
Perhilitan has repeatedly warned against illegally keeping wild animals or committing wildlife crimes and urged those involved to cease their activities or face stern action.
The public can support enforcement efforts against wildlife trading or smuggling activities by alerting Perhilitan via its hotline 1800-88-5151 or its website.
Malaysia is considered a major transit point for the trafficking of endangered animals to other parts of Asia.
Last month, Transport Minister Anthony Loke reprimanded Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) over rising cases of wildlife being smuggled out of the country.
He said it was a serious issue that the airport operator must take immediate steps to overcome.
Checked-in luggage falls under the purview of MAHB’s baggage handling services, not the Customs Department.
