Sepang, Malaysia, 30th October 2018—A Malaysian court has sentenced two ex-Customs officers to a total of five years in jail and MYR230,000 (USD55,082) in fines each, on several charges of illegal possession of 31 Black Spotted Turtles Geoclemys hamiltonii—a species under tremendous threat from the illegal international commercial trade.
The men were arrested on 12th May 2016 with two bags containing 31 of the CITES[1] Appendix I listed turtles at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2). They were both serving Customs officers at the time of the arrest.
The men, who worked in a separate facility in the area, were apprehended after lifting the two bags off a carousel at KLIA 2. The bags contained six adult, six immature, and 19 female turtles. This resulted in three separate charges under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.
Abdul Razak Abdul Shukor, 29, and Mohd Hazwan Musa’Almudin…
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