TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An attempt to traffic in protected wildlife, the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), was successfully thwarted in Medan City, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Sunday, February 22, 2026. A young man with the initials 'SD' (28 years old), was arrested while attempting to ship the animal via land transportation.
The Head of the Sumatra Forestry Law Enforcement Agency, Hari Novianto, emphasized that his office would not give any space to poachers or traders of protected wildlife. He also emphasized that this arrest was a stepping stone to dismantling a wider network.
Hari revealed that SD's arrest occurred without resistance because officers presented strong evidence linking his illegal trading activities via Facebook. "We have ordered investigators to investigate the role of the perpetrator and other parties suspected of being involved in the protected wildlife trafficking syndicate in North Sumatra," Hari said in a written statement on Monday, February 23, 2026.
This sting operation, he said, began with a public report regarding an alleged transaction involving protected wildlife. A joint team from the Sumatra Forestry Law Enforcement Agency and the North Sumatra Regional Police's Civil Servant Investigator Supervision Coordinator then proceeded to a location on Jalan Tahi Bonar Simatupang, Medan Sunggal District. There, officers discovered six leopard cats hidden in cardboard boxes in poor condition.
After being confiscated, Hari said, the six animals were immediately identified by the North Sumatra Conservation and Natural Resources Agency. To ensure their health and wild nature are maintained, the exotic animals are now being entrusted to the Sibolangit Wildlife Rescue Center (PPS) for treatment and rehabilitation before being released back into their habitat.
Meanwhile, SD has been named a suspect in a forestry crime in the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Ecosystems (KSDAE) sector. "SD was proven to have carried out activities such as storing, possessing, caring for, transporting, and trading protected animals," Hari said.
Based on Law Number 32 of 2024 (an amendment to Law Number 5 of 1990) concerning the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and their Ecosystems, Hari explained, SD faces a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a fine of up to Rp20 billion. "Currently, the suspect and evidence have been secured at the Medan Law Enforcement Agency (Gakkum) Office for further legal proceedings," he said.
Wood Theft in a Nature Reserve
Separately, on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, the Head of the Sulawesi Forestry Law Enforcement Agency, Ali Bahri, announced the naming of a man with the initials 'R' as a suspect in a case of logging theft (illegal logging) in the Napabalano Nature Reserve (CA) conservation area, Muna Regency, Southeast Sulawesi. This naming was the result of a joint team's undercover operation that began on February 18, 2026.
This case was also uncovered thanks to reports from the public who were suspicious of the sound of chainsaws coming from within the Nature Reserve. Following up on this information, a joint team immediately conducted a raid and discovered the processing of a giant teak tree.
The Sulawesi Regional Forestry Law Enforcement Agency officially named a man with the initials R (29) as a suspect in a timber theft case in the Napabalano Nature Reserve conservation area, Muna Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, in February 2026. Doc. kehutanan.go.id
At the scene, officers found a teak log that had been cut into three pieces, with the middle section measuring 4.75 meters long and 0.8 meters in diameter. The team also successfully thwarted an attempt to transport the logs using a yellow dump truck without license plates.
The evidence, including the car and the large teak log, has been confiscated and is being held at the Tampo Police Station. Meanwhile, investigators detained R at the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police detention center and threatened him with a maximum prison sentence of 11 years and a maximum fine of Rp2 billion based on Law Number 32 of 2024 concerning the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and their Ecosystems in conjunction with Article 20 of the Criminal Code.
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