Credits: PHILSTAR
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysian authorities have apprehended six members of the notorious “Ninja Turtle Gang” and confiscated around 200 smuggled tortoises and turtles, according to a wildlife official on Tuesday.
Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim, director-general of Malaysia’s wildlife and national parks department, reported that four Cambodians and two Malaysians were detained during a July 2 raid on a house in Kuala Lumpur conducted by police and wildlife officials.
He informed AFP that the rescued turtles and tortoises, valued at approximately 246,394 ringgit ($52,300), were found during the raid, marking the second significant seizure in Malaysia within a week.
Turtles and tortoises are believed by many in Asia to bring good luck and prosperity.
The six arrested individuals are part of the “Ninja Turtle Gang,” an international crime syndicate involved in smuggling these reptiles, Abdul Kadir said.
In an earlier operation on June 29, police and wildlife officials rescued 400 tortoises intended for sale in Southeast Asia, worth $805,084 on the black market.
Among the animals saved in the latest raid was the critically endangered Chinese striped-necked turtle, also known as the golden thread turtle, Abdul Kadir noted.
Other species included the endangered black pond turtle, snapping turtle, sulcata tortoise, leopard tortoise, and the red-footed tortoise, which is native to South America and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Barbados.
“Initial investigations revealed that the reptiles were smuggled from abroad to meet the lucrative pet market,” Abdul Kadir said. The raid also uncovered three snakes, four softshell turtles, a skink, and five frogs.
The rescued animals are currently being held at a Malaysian wildlife department quarantine center.
Abdul Kadir highlighted that smugglers often bring reptiles into Malaysia by road or in suitcases aboard commercial flights.
Traffic, a wildlife NGO, stated that Southeast Asian countries act as sources, consumers, and transit points for wildlife originating both from within the region and from the rest of the world.
