Smuggled snakes expose flaws in Indonesian airport security
Customs officials in Abu Dhabi arrest a traveler from Indonesia who arrived at Abu Dhabi with four snakes, two parrots, and a squirrel hidden in his luggage; Indonesian airport security officials say the only way the passenger could have smuggled the animals on board was for airport officials to be complicit in the illegal wildlife trade; this raises even more serious concerns about Indonesian airport security; in February, Indonesian customs officials seized 700 snakes and 3,400 pig-nosed turtles hidden inside a cargo consignment marked as fresh fruit
In a quasi-Hollywood scenario that could point to serious flaws in Indonesian airport security, an airline passenger was arrested in Abu Dhabi after arriving from Jakarta with live snakes and other animals in his carry-on luggage.
Police in the Gulf state were reported as saying that the man, a Saudi national, had tried to transit at Abu Dhabi International Airport with a bag filled with four snakes, two parrots and a squirrel, after an eight-hour Etihad Airlines flight from Jakarta last Thursday.
Jakarta Globe reports that police officials declined to disclose the suspect’s identity or final destination. They also did not identify the snake species, although a Dubai newspaper, 7Days, quoted experts as saying the photos appeared to be of reticulated and blood pythons, both non-venomous species native to Southeast Asia.
The animals are currently being cared for by the authorities in Abu Dhabi.
Media reports on Tuesday said it was unclear how the animals passed through security at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, but there was no real-life replay of the 2006 Hollywood thriller “Snakes on a Plane” during the flight.
Andang Santoso, a spokesman for state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II, told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday that it was inconceivable live animals could have gone through security checks undetected.
“Every passenger has to go through two X-ray scanners, so I don’t think it’s possible for the animals to have passed them without anyone noticing,” he said.
Irma Hermawati, coordinator for the Wildlife Advocacy Institution, said she feared airport officials might be complicit in the illegal wildlife trade.
“One of the smugglers’ methods is to bribe the officials manning the X-ray machines,” she told the Globe. “Another is to hand the luggage over to an Angkasa Pura official outside the airport so that they can then bring it directly to the airplane without having to pass through any scanners.”
Irma said her organization had long sought to discuss the issue with the airport operator, but had always been turned down. “The company plays an important role in saving endangered wildlife,” she said. “However, they always respond by saying that it’s not their problem.”
This is not the first such case of animals being smuggled through Soekarno-Hatta.
In February, customs officials seized 700 snakes and 3,400 pig-nosed turtles hidden inside a cargo consignment marked as fresh fruit.
Gatot Sugeng Wibowo, chief investigator at the customs office, said the cargo, which was traced back to a West Jakarta-based company, had been destined for Hong Kong on board a Cathay Pacific flight.
