Crackdown on Wildlife Trafficking: Riau Islands Authorities Thwart Smuggling of 1,728 Dried Seahorses Disguised as Snacks

TANJUNGPINANG, Riau Islands — In a brazen attempt to bypass domestic environmental controls, wildlife traffickers thought they had found a foolproof camouflage: packing thousands of dried, vulnerable marine species inside ordinary cardboard boxes labeled simply as "snacks."

However, sharp-eyed airport personnel and the Riau Islands (Kepri) Agricultural Quarantine Agency dismantled that illusion. On Saturday, October 10, 2026, a joint inspection team at the Raja Haji Fisabilillah (RHF) Airport Cargo Terminal in Tanjungpinang intercepted a suspicious cargo consignment bound for Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. Inside the boxes lay a staggering haul of 1,728 dried seahorses, harvested from the sea and dried for commercial markets, hidden in plain sight.

The interception highlights a persistent, clandestine trade threatening marine ecosystems across the Indo-Pacific, underscoring the vital enforcement role played by regional quarantine and customs agencies in blocking illegal supply chains.

Main Facts

The operation yielded 1,728 dried seahorses categorized across three distinct species, all meticulously packaged to resemble processed food products.

• Total Specimen Count: 1,728 dried seahorses.
• Destination: Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi.
• Point of Interception: Raja Haji Fisabilillah (RHF) Airport Cargo Terminal, Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands.
• Date of Interception: Saturday, October 10, 2026.
• Method of Concealment: Cargo boxes falsely declared and labeled as commercial snacks.
• Legal Violations: Violation of Article 35 of Law Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine, alongside conservation permit failures.

Following the seizure, the Riau Islands Quarantine Agency collaborated with the Pekanbaru Coastal and Marine Resources Management (PSPL) to officially identify and document the confiscated specimens.

The breakdown of the seized seahorses reveals a devastating toll on various wild populations:

1. Hippocampus kuda: 1,263 individuals, measuring approximately 13 to 19 centimeters.
2. Hippocampus spinosissimus: 452 individuals, measuring approximately 11 to 14 centimeters.
3. Hippocampus comes: 13 individuals, measuring approximately 12 to 14 centimeters.

Chronology of the Interception

The operation unfolded swiftly over a weekend morning at the bustling RHF Airport cargo hub.

• The Scan: During routine security and regulatory checks of outbound freight, joint officers monitored cargo processed by an express delivery service provider. An X-ray machine scan highlighted anomalous organic density within a seemingly ordinary cardboard box, triggering immediate physical inspection protocols.
• The Opening: Upon opening the consignment, officers discovered that the contents bore no resemblance to the "snack foods" listed on the shipping manifest. Instead, thousands of brittle, dried marine organisms filled the package.
• The Demand for Documentation: Officers immediately summoned representatives of the logistics and courier company responsible for the transport, demanding mandatory quarantine clearance certificates and conservation transport permits. The courier representatives failed to produce any valid documentation, leaving the shipment legally untenable.
• The Seizure: Quarantine officials formally seized the entire consignment under national quarantine statutes. The packages were moved to the RHF Airport Quarantine Service Office for formal handling.
• The Handover: On Monday, October 12, 2026, the Riau Islands Quarantine Agency officially transferred custody of the 1,728 dried seahorses to the Tanjungpinang Working Unit of Loka PSPL Pekanbaru and the Tanjungpinang Coastal and Marine Resources Management Oversight (PSDKP) Station—operating under the Batam PSDKP Base—for collaborative, long-term legal processing and management.

Supporting Data: The Global Crisis of Seahorse Populations

The illegal trade in seahorses is far from a localized infraction; it feeds a multi-million-dollar global market driven by traditional medicine, the curio trade, and the aquarium industry.

According to assessments by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), seahorse populations face severe, compounding pressures across their natural habitats. Certain closely related commercial species, such as Hippocampus trimaculatus (the three-spot seahorse), have been formally classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to steep, sustained population declines.

Habitat Pressures and Depletion Rates

IUCN evaluations indicate that global seahorse populations have suffered catastrophic drops—estimated between 50% and 79% over the past three generations. These creatures inhabit shallow tropical and temperate waters across the Indo-Pacific, spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and parts of East Asia. They rely heavily on fragile ecosystems such as seagrass meadows, algae beds, coral rubble, and mangrove fringes.

However, destructive fishing practices—particularly non-selective bottom trawling and industrial dredging—routinely obliterate these habitats while catching seahorses as unintended bycatch or targeted harvest. Fishery reports across Southeast Asia document an alarming downward trend:

• In Vietnam, roughly 95% of surveyed fishers report a continuous decline in seahorse catch rates, averaging a 59% drop per unit of effort over the last decade.
• Similar contractions in yield have been documented in India, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, signaling a widespread regional depletion of breeding stocks.

Trade Dynamics

The IUCN notes that international commerce heavily favors dried specimens destined for traditional Asian pharmacopeias, tonics, and coastal souvenirs, alongside live specimens traded for the global marine aquarium hobby. Although international trade frameworks like CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) regulate commercial thresholds, black-market networks and mislabeled cargo shipments continue to undermine conservation efforts.

Official Responses and Regulatory Warnings

In the wake of the RHF Airport seizure, senior officials have emphasized that lax oversight by courier services will no longer be tolerated.

Hasim, Head of the Riau Islands Quarantine Agency, stressed that moving wildlife across provincial or international borders requires strict adherence to legal channels.

"The modus operandi utilized here involved deliberately misleading officers by falsely declaring the contents as snack food," Hasim stated in an official release. "Shipping seahorses demands specific regulatory sign-offs from both agricultural quarantine and conservation authorities. Because these documents were completely absent, we brought the shipment to an immediate halt."

Under Article 35 of Law Number 21 of 2019, individuals and transport entities are legally obligated to report and surrender any biological media carriers to quarantine officers at designated exit ports.

Regarding accountability for the shipment, Hasim confirmed that the agency is actively tracking down both the ultimate senders and intended recipients. Simultaneously, authorities are planning educational outreach programs for shipping companies and logistics operators.

"We will provide targeted socialization and warnings to the shipping agents and owners involved," Hasim added. "This incident must serve as a stark lesson for everyone: do not traffic in protected or threatened wildlife species. We urge all courier companies and members of the public to rigorously verify cargo contents and ensure all legal documentation is complete before dispatching animals, fish, plants, or their derivative products through cargo channels. This vigilance is crucial—not only for conservation, but to prevent the spread of animal diseases."

Broader Enforcement Context: Smuggling BUSTS in the Riau Islands

The seahorse interception arrives amid a broader, highly aggressive enforcement campaign across the Riau Islands targeting high-value contraband and illegal resource extraction.

Weeks prior to the RHF Airport operation, customs officials at Batam’s international ferry terminals executed massive seizures of precious metals destined for international markets. Between September 22 and September 24, 2026, the Main Service Office of Customs and Excise (KPU) in Batam intercepted 11,310 grams (11.3 kg) of raw gold powder packaged across 43 distinct parcels from eight passengers bound for Singapore via Batam Centre and Harbour Bay international ferry ports.

According to Mujiono, Head of the Information Services Section for Batam Customs, the total value of the seized gold reached an estimated Rp 29.23 billion, successfully safeguarding potential state financial losses totaling Rp 3.65 billion.

• First Interception (Sept 22): Prompted by risk-profiling analytics, officers inspected passenger SQ, uncovering seven packages of dense solid powder weighing 1,875 grams. Laboratory testing confirmed 99.530% pure gold content (Au), valued at Rp 4.77 billion with Rp 595 million in averted state losses.
• Second Interception (Sept 24): Expanding on travel pattern analysis, customs officers intercepted seven additional passengers (identified by initials TLK, CYA, LJ, CYO, CM, PC, and YM) carrying 36 similar parcels hidden within personal baggage and clothing. Laboratory tests verified another 9,435 grams of high-purity gold powder, valued at Rp 24.46 billion with Rp 3.06 billion in protected state revenues.

Customs officials stated that the suspects violated Law Number 17 of 2006 on Customs, Government Regulation Number 41 of 2021 on Free Trade Zones, and Ministry of Finance Regulation Number 34 of 2025 governing passenger and carrier baggage exports.

A Unified Front for Maritime Security

From illegal gold smuggling out of Batam’s ferry ports to underground wildlife trafficking networks pushing dried seahorses out through regional airports, law enforcement bodies in the Riau Islands are tightening the net.

By combining advanced X-ray cargo scanning, rigorous intelligence risk-profiling, and inter-agency cooperation between Quarantine, Customs, PSDKP, and conservation bodies, Indonesian authorities are signaling a zero-tolerance policy toward illicit supply chains that drain the nation’s natural wealth and imperil fragile marine biodiversity.