Long jail term for former Malaysian police officer caught in possession of endangered pangolins

Mohd Sharwandy Sollahudin, arrested in August 2018, was sentenced last month to a total of 15 years and nine months in prison on four charges, including illegal possession of juvenile and female pangolins under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

However, he is only expected to serve six and a half years in prison as Alor Setar Magistrates Court Judge Rohatul Akmar Abdullah ordered that the prison sentences for the four separate changes be served concurrently.

This sentence is particularly significant because no fine was imposed, making it a harsh prison sentence. The prison terms handed down exceed half the maximum sentence allowed for each of the four charges.

A sentence like this is important because wildlife criminals need to understand that there is more than just a slap on the wrist that awaits those who traffic in wildlife.

Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim, director-general of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (PERHILITAN), the agency responsible for Sharwandy’s arrest and prosecution.“Pangolins are very expensive on the black market and the cost to traffickers must also be high to deter them,” he said.

Sharwandy’s case follows several arrests of other police officers involved in pangolin smuggling who also work in the state of Kedah. The state lies in the north of the Malaysian peninsula, bordering Thailand, and is a frequent scene of wildlife smuggling attempts.

In 2012, a former police officer was arrested for illegal possession and cruelty to pangolins and imprisoned. He was arrested again on similar charges in 2014 near the Malaysia-Thailand border post at Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah.

In 2018, a retired military man was arrested in the same area with 56 pangolins in the trunk of his car.

In 2019, a Malaysian police officer was arrested by Royal Thai Customs officers at a border post in Thailand with 47 pangolins in his car.

The former police officer’s trial also highlights the continued pressure on critically endangered Sunda pangolins in the wild, with TRAFFIC data showing more than 80 incidents involving more than 2,500 Sunda pangolins seized in Malaysia from 2014 to 2023.

More than two-thirds of the pangolins in Sharwandy’s possession were females or juveniles, highlighting the impact his smuggling attempt may have had on the species. Sunda pangolins mate once a year and typically produce only one young.

“This may be an isolated case in one country, but such a crucial judicial decision is a way to effectively demonstrate the gravity of the situation facing pangolins.”

Kanitha Krishnasamy, TRAFFIC’s Director in Southeast Asia.