South Korean national tried to move 8 live monitor lizards from Soetta Airport
New: officers found six green monitor lizards and two Aru monitor lizards hidden in a suitcase bound for Seoul.
Officers foiled an attempt to smuggle eight live monitor lizards by a South Korean national at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten. The animals were found in the checked suitcase of a passenger identified as JJ, who was preparing to fly to Seoul. Based on identification with related agencies, the animals consisted of six green monitor lizards (Varanus prasinus) and two Aru monitor lizards (Varanus beccarii), wrapped in cloth bags and hidden among clothes. The Ministry of Forestry said JJ has been named a suspect. The case adds to a string of wildlife smuggling busts through international flights at Soetta Airport, after authorities previously found hundreds of live reptiles and birds in several other cases.