Bird smuggling operation in Indonesia

Indonesian police in Sidoarjo, East Java, uncovered a large-scale smuggling operation involving 3,394 birds. The shipment, which included Hwamei birds, starlings, and Chinese Laughingthrushes, was reportedly transported from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to Jakarta before being moved to a storage house in Kepatihan Village.

Authorities detained two Vietnamese nationals, identified as LVT and LN (also referred to as LM), who were allegedly acting under the direction of another Vietnamese citizen, ALY. The suspects were tasked with guarding the warehouse and managing the birds. Of the seized shipment, 3,233 birds were alive and 161 had died.

The birds were brought into Indonesia without required health certificates or quarantine documentation. The estimated market value of the shipment is between 4.8 billion and 9.6 billion Rupiah. The suspects face charges for violating Law Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and fines of up to 10 billion Rupiah.