(Kuala Lumpur) Malaysian authorities have dismantled a criminal network dubbed the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” gang and rescued hundreds of specimens destined for sale in Southeast Asia, an animal protection official said Thursday.
Some 400 turtles worth 3.8 million ringgit ($1.1 million), destined for the lucrative exotic pet trade, were seized Saturday in an operation by police and Malaysian wildlife authorities, said Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim, director-general of Wildlife and National Parks.
“This is the biggest seizure in the last ten years,” he told AFP, adding that the reptiles were expected to be resold in Thailand and Indonesia once local demand was satisfied.
The turtles appear to have been smuggled in from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, Hashim said.
The reptiles were smuggled into Malaysia by road or in suitcases by smugglers on commercial flights, he added.
Throughout Asia, turtles are considered to bring good luck and prosperity.
“Malaysia’s strategic location in Southeast Asia makes the country a hub for the smuggling of these exotic species,” he added.