JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian investigators say they expect further developments in a major wildlife trafficking case after an intermediary was sentenced to nine years in prison over the discovery of 3.05 metric tons of pangolin scales at the country’s largest port in February this year. “We’re continuing to expand the investigation to dismantle this illegal trade network, including the actors behind it,” said Bambang Ari Wibowo, investigation lead for Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara at Gakkum, the law enforcement division of Indonesia’s forestry ministry. In October, a court in Indonesia’s capital handed down a nine-year custodial sentence to Tonny Tumbelaka, a middleman in an organized crime group’s attempt to smuggle more than 3 metric tonnes of pangolin scales from Jakarta to Cambodia through Tanjung Priok port. Prosecutors proved that Tonny arranged for the pangolin scales to be transported to a warehouse in Cakung, in east Jakarta, for concealment among sea cucumbers and instant noodle cartons before planned export to Cambodia. Tonny also received a 1 billion rupiah fine, equivalent to around $55,000. The sentence was two years shorter than the 11-year prison term sought by prosecutors, who also recommended a fine of 2 billion rupiah. Tonny Tumbelaka, a defendant in the smuggling of 3,053 kilograms (6,731 pounds) of pangolin scales, was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined 1 billion rupiah (around $55,000) at the North Jakarta District Court. Image by Muhammad Wildan Al Gifari. Test of law enforcement Civil society organizations noted that the nine-year term was lengthy…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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