NBI nabs Chinese mammal smuggler
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- A Chinese-national businesswoman was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation Region III (NBI3) yesterday for suspected smuggling of two extinct species inside the Clark Freeport Zone.
The suspect, identified as Peimin Zhang, was caught in possession of four pangolins and two cobras which are both under the “Red List” of animals threatened with extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, inside her Mitsubishi Grandis bound to Tarlac province.
According to NBI Regional Director Ricardo Diaz, at 11:00 pm of Tuesday, an unidentified informant notified the agency of the planned transfer of the animals, which prompted them to immediately coordinate with the Clark Development Corporation security office.
The security personnel then successfully intercepted Zhang’s vehicle at the M.A. Roxas Avenue-Yokohama intersection where they found one box containing a sack of cobras and the Pangolins.
However, upon investigation, Zhang allegedly asserted that she has no knowledge of the animal’s existence inside her car.
“Ang sabi niya may lalaki lang daw na nagpalagay doon, nakisuyo na dalhin kung saan,” Diaz shared.
The NBI suspected that the species are bound to be smuggled in China for trading in the black market, where their meat and scales are normally bought.
Based on research, illegal trade in South Asia has rendered the scaly mammals as the most trafficked animal on earth, with some estimates claiming that sales now account for up to 20 percent of the entire wildlife black market.
In some countries, Pangolin’s meat is considered a delicacy and its scales are used in traditional medicine and folk remedies to treat a range of ailments from asthma, rheumatism, arthritis and even cancer, and is also considered as an aphrodisiac.
“Malaki ang bentahan nito sa international market kaya ganun siguro yan papunta,” Diaz said.
However, he did not yet confirm if the suspect is part of a bigger syndicate practicing animal, particularly Pangolin, smuggling.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) assured that the species are not from this province as there are no recorded wildlife habitat and signs of existence here.
They concluded that the species were transported from Palawan province where they are known to be endemic.
The NBI, together with the DENR, are now preparing a case on violation of the Sections 27 and 28 of RA 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation Act against Zhang. She will be in custody of the law-enforcement agency for the mean time.
The mammals were already turned over to DENR-Central Luzon for safekeeping.