On a June morning on Bali's Pegametan coast, police found 21 living green sea turtles held for sale, after neighbors noticed something that looked like trade and chose to speak up. It is a small scene inside a very old story, one in which an animal that has swum the oceans for ages becomes merchandise in human hands, and in which the laws meant to protect it are only as strong as the watchfulness of the people who live beside the shore. The arrest of a 67-year-old man is the visible edge of a network whose full shape remains unclear, and the question now is less about one man than about how fa
Bali Police Foil Illegal Trade in 21 Protected Green Sea Turtles, Arrest One Suspect
On a June morning on Bali's Pegametan coast, police found 21 living green sea turtles held for sale, after neighbors noticed something that looked like trade and chose to speak up. It is a small scene inside a very old story, one in which an animal that has swum the oceans for ages becomes merchandise in human hands, and in which the laws meant to protect it are only as strong as the watchfulness of the people who live beside the shore. The arrest of a 67-year-old man is the visible edge of a network whose full shape remains unclear, and the question now is less about one man than about how far the chain of hands reaches.
On June 10, Bali police raided a stretch of the Pegametan coast after residents reported what appeared to be turtle trading nearby. Inside they found 21 live green sea turtles held for illegal sale. The tip came from neighbors rather than an undercover operation, and police announced the seizure more than a week later.
Officers arrested one man at the scene, a 67-year-old identified only as KS, whom they believe was storing the animals before distribution. According to his early statements relayed by police, an associate sent the turtles from waters near Madura in East Java, and another man was supposed to collect them on the beach. Those claims have not been independently confirmed, and neither the buyer nor the associate has been named.
KS has been charged under Indonesia's wildlife protection laws, which carry up to 15 years in prison and significant fines. Police say the investigation is continuing and that other members of the network are being pursued.
The case sits within a much larger crisis. Sea turtles have been legally protected in Indonesia since 1990, yet poaching and organized trade continue to push most of the world's sea turtle species toward extinction. Green turtles have been among the most killed, and Bali itself was once a major trafficking hub. What comes next is whether police reach the others in the chain and whether the case against KS moves to trial.
On June 10, Bali police raided a stretch of the island's Pegametan coast and found 21 live green sea turtles, held for illegal sale. Officers went there because local residents had reported what looked like turtle trading in the area. Police announced the seizure on Friday, more than a week after the raid.
Nanang Pri Hasmojo, head of law enforcement for the Bali police, described how the operation began. The tip came from people who lived nearby, not from an undercover investigation. Police arrested one man at the scene, a 67-year-old identified only by his initials, KS. They suspect he was storing the animals before they were distributed for sale.
According to police, KS told investigators during initial questioning that an associate had sent the turtles from waters near Madura, an island in East Java province. He allegedly received them on the beach, where another man was supposed to collect them for resale. That account comes from the suspect's early statements as relayed by police. The reporting does not say whether it has been independently confirmed, and the buyer and the associate who allegedly sent the animals have not been named.
Hasmojo said the investigation is continuing. "We are continuing to investigate the case and pursuing other suspects involved in the network," he said. KS has been charged under Indonesia's wildlife protection laws and faces up to 15 years in prison and significant fines if convicted.
The legal footing is long established. Turtle species in Indonesia have been protected under conservation and fisheries laws since 1990. A 2018 Environment Ministry regulation clarified protections for the six sea turtle species found in the country's waters, and further government regulations prohibit trading them.
The seizure belongs to a much larger problem. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says poaching of turtle eggs by local communities and organized criminal networks is a key driver of a global crisis that has pushed six of the world's seven sea turtle species into threatened categories. A 2022 study by Arizona State University researchers, published in Global Change Biology, estimated that more than 1.1 million sea turtles were killed between 1990 and 2020. Demand came largely from meat, supposed aphrodisiacs and traditional and spiritual practices. The green turtle, Chelonia mydas, accounted for 56% of those killings.
Bali has its own history here. The island, home to about 4.5 million people, was once a major hub for green turtle trafficking, driven in part by the historical use of turtle meat in offerings in Balinese Hinduism, the island's predominant religion.
What to watch now is whether police identify and arrest the other people they say are part of the network, including whoever was meant to collect the turtles, and whether the case against KS moves to trial.
Citas Notables
We are continuing to investigate the case and pursuing other suspects involved in the network.— Nanang Pri Hasmojo, head of law enforcement, Bali police
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en SFGATE ↗
Crime & Justice