Driver arrested for selling two slow lorises in Indonesia

A travel driver in Indonesia was arrested by police and wildlife conservation officers after being caught smuggling a pair of endangered slow lorises.

A travel driver in Indonesia was arrested by police and wildlife conservation officers after being caught smuggling a pair of endangered slow lorises.

The joint team from the West Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and the Agam Police Criminal Unit arrested the driver on Wednesday (March 24).

The perpetrator with the initials HJ (44) was reportedly arrested without resistance while waiting for a buyer at a food stall in the Bawan traditional market with the two slow lorises.

The two slow lorises were found in two small boxes used for light bulbs, motorbikes and cell phones used by the perpetrators in carrying out the action.

"The evidence in the form of two slow lorises is currently being handed over to the BKSDA and will soon be released back into the wild after investigators coordinate with the public prosecutor," local official Ade Putra commented.

The suspect was charged under Article 21 paragraph 2 of Law Number 5 Year 1990 concerning Conservation of Living Natural Resources and their Ecosystems, with the threat of 5 years in prison and a fine of 100 million rupiah (£5,000).