Riau Police on Hunt for Poachers After Seizure of Rp 1b Elephant Tusks
Jakarta. Police are still on the hunt for alleged poachers of two elephant tusks worth some Rp 1 billion ($73,300) recently seized in Pekanbaru city, Riau.
The tusks, weighing around 46 kilograms, were confiscated on Friday night (19/05) at a restaurant from five suspects whom investigators said acted as traders.
One of them, whom police said planned to sell the tusks for around Rp 20 million per kilogram, was identified as a village official in Kampar district.
"Based on information we have received so far, these tusks originated from outside Riau," Adj. Sr. Comr. Hariwiyawan Harun of the Riau Police special crimes unit said recently, as quoted by Antara.
"We allege that these tusks have long been kept," Hariwiyawan said, adding they were allegedly taken from one adult elephant.
Illegal wildlife trade is rampant in parts of Indonesia, where the enforcement of conservation laws is weak.
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