Jambi, (Antara Sumbar) - The Water Police of Jambi have seized and rescued 38,325 baby lobsters worth Rp5.74 billion that were due to be smuggled abroad by an unidentified cargo service through the Sultan Thaha Airport in Jambi.
The seizure was conducted on Saturday night, Oct 21, when some officers stopped two suspected Toyota cars bearing Jakarta region's registration number plates -- B-2417-SKE and B-1086-UIQ -- in Simpang Tiga Kotabaru, Jambi, at around 12:15 a.m. local time, Jambi Police spokesperson Adjunct Senior Commissioner Kuswahyudi Tresnadi stated here on Monday.
The police found packages of baby lobsters in plastic bags that were transported from Merak Port, West Java, to Jambi, and arrested the drivers identified as M. Mansur aged 46 from East Jakarta and 50-year-old Aripudin and a 28-year-old passenger Muamar Kadapit from North Jakarta.
Based on a preliminary investigation, the baby lobsters of three varieties were poached for breeding and were packaged in 187 plastic bags comprising 133 bags of 33,166 sand lobsters and 54 bags of 6,159 pearl lobsters.
The suspect will be charged based on Article 16 of Law Number 45 of 2009 on Fisheries. (*)
Editor: Vicha Faradika