Since 2023, Raja Ampat became a UNESCO Global Geopark, but about three years prior nickel mining has expanded sharply.
The suspects now face charges related to the illegal trade, including storing, possessing, transporting, and/or trading specimens of protected animals.
IB (35), local fisher from Bagan Deli, Belawan subdistrict, Medan, was arrested by authorities after he was found to be carrying the protected wildlife without any required permits.
The birds were from South Kalimantan and were sent to Java through Telaga Biru Port in Bangkalan, East Java.
They were 16 primates, seven reptiles, four mammals, and one birds.
Footprints of the wild and protected animal were found just 10 to 30 meters behind a resident's house.
The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, together with South Sulawesi police, investigated sea turtle poaching in Kapoposang Conservation Area.
