THE Zamboanga City Maritime Police Station (ZC MARPSTA) is preparing legal charges against five people arrested for the illegal trade of shark meat in the city.
The ZC MARPSTA did not release the identities of the arrested suspects except to say they included a skipper, and four crewmen of a motor launch named ML Aslinda.
The Maritime Police said the charges that will be filed against the five is for violation of Section 102 of Republic Act 10654, which prohibits the fishing or taking of rare, threatened, or endangered species.
The police said the suspects were arrested in a joint law enforcement operation on Tuesday, October 15, at a private wharf in Baliwasan village, Zamboanga City.
“The operation stemmed from a concerned citizen’s report stating that a motor launch marked ML Aslinda was unloading shark meat at the wharf,” the ZC MARPSTA said in a statement.
The police said the shipment of shark meat, the volume of which was not made known, came from Pangutaran, an island town in the province of Sulu.
The ZC MARSTA also impounded the vessel, and a truck was found loaded and was about to deliver shark meat to the market.
The joint law enforcement operation was launched by the ZC MARPSTA and 1st Special Operations Unit-Maritime Group in coordination with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Community Environment and Natural Resources. (SunStar Zamboanga)