The opportunity has arrived for Malaysia to step up and put an end to illegal wildlife smugglers thriving in Malaysia; sullying the name of the country. Traffic Southeast Asia and WWF- Malaysia commend the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) authorities for being vigilant and successfully defeating yet another attempt for smuggling wildlife

This case is yet another manifestation of Malaysia’s role as an illegal wildlife hub; be it as a source, destination or transit point. A species from the Americas, the Boa Constrictor for which known wildlife trader Anson Wong was found with, is listed under Schedule One of Malaysia’s International Trade in Endangered Species in Act, for which trade is prohibited and regulated accordingly.

Wong was also found with what is believed to be Rhinoceros Vipers and a Mata Mata Turtle. All Boa constrictors are listed in Appendix I or II of Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), and is therefore regulated or prohibited from international commercial trade.

Malaysia officials are urged to enforce its International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008, a legislation that regulates international trade of wild animals and plants. Under Section 12 of the Act, any person who is found in possession of a scheduled species commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine of up to RM 1 million, or to imprisonment for a term of up to seven years.

This matter cannot be taken lightly. Malaysia must rise to the challenge to rival those involved in wildlife smuggling. Their attempt at cheating Malaysia’s legal system must be dealt with head-on.

There is no excuse to be lax on a criminal offence of any nature. This offence can be further penalised under Section 13 for individuals found to be in transit with a scheduled species, and Section 10 for exporting or importing scheduled species without a permit.

Offenders can be punished through multiple charges under the law. As a convicted wildlife smuggler who was imprisoned in the US federal prison for 71 months, Anson Wong should be given the maximum penalty under the Cites Act, including revocation of all his permits to trade wildlife should he be found guilty, again.

We look forward to the Wildlife Department and the Malaysian judiciary working together to prosecute this offender to the full extent of the law.

As was made clear in the recent prosecution of two Malagasy women smuggling Cites-listed species, Malaysia no longer tolerates crimes of this sort. Traffic Southeast Asia and WWF-Malaysia strongly urge that further investigations be carried out to clamp-down all establishments linked to this case and other operations that could possibly be used as a front for illegal wildlife trade.

The writers are senior programme officer, Traffic Southeast Asia and WW-Malaysia CEO, respectively.