RESTAURANT RAID
BINTULU: A restaurant that stores and offers for sale meat of unlicensed exotic animals at Jalan Tanjung Kidurong was raided by enforcement forces in an integrated operation last Monday (Sept 28).
Bintulu district police chief Supt Zulkipli Suhaili said the 9pm operation involved personnel from Bintulu district police headquarters (IPD) and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC).
The raid at the outlet was a result of public information.
During the raid, the enforcement team found meats of various protected animal such as bears, soft shell turtles, merejang, hedgehogs, tragulus, pangolin, snakes, muntjak(kijang), monitor lizards, deer and wild boars weighing 35 kilogrammes kept in a refrigerator of the restaurant.
According to him, the total value of the exotic meat confiscation was estimated at RM5,000.
Following the raid, he also revealed that three local women aged 23 to 47 years old, believed to be the caretaker and employees of the restaurant were detained to assist in the investigation. Those arrested and confiscated items were handed over to SFC for further investigation under section 48 (1) of the Wildlife Ordinance 1998.
Meanwhile, the three suspects face punishment under Section 37 (2) and Section 29 (2) of the same act which provides for a sentence of one year imprisonment and a fine of RM10,000.
Furthermore, Zulkipli added that his team would continue to work together to help SFC monitor the situation in an effort to curb the hunting, upkeep and sale of protected wildlife.
