Aceh bust uncovers vast Indonesia-Thailand wildlife trafficking route
A seizure in Indonesia of a vehicle packed with dozens of animals, from an orangutan to big cat parts and hornbills, has set off investigations into a wildlife smuggling network with tentacles across the country, revealing an active smuggling link to Thailand.
In late January, enforcers at the Customs Service Office in Madat District, East Aceh Regency intercepted a small truck carrying the orangutan, along with birds of paradise, and even suspected tiger skulls, frozen horseshoe crabs and many more species reportedly for export to Thailand.
The 41-year-old truck driver and the wildlife were handed over to the Forestry Law Enforcement Agency for further investigations and legal proceedings.
According to a Customs Department statement the suspect told authorities the wildlife was picked up from a warehouse in coastal Lhokseumawe and Alue Bili in North Aceh and would be sent to Alur Madat in East Aceh where it would be whisked away by speedboat to Thailand.
The statement characterized the bust as a crushing blow to the illegal wildlife trade network targeting Thailand as an export destination country.
This case is significant given authorities told press they suspect the involvement of an organized international crime network and called the suspect in custody “a gateway” to uncovering the cross-country trafficking.
Wildlife trafficking between Indonesia and Thailand is not unusual. TRAFFIC data* showed at least 31 incidents over the past decade from 2016-2025. These seizures took place in Indonesia and Thailand, where both served as a source, consumer or transit country.
Data also revealed a wide array of species, both terrestrial and marine, being trafficked between the two countries, with a significant proportion involving African species, including those listed on CITES Appendix I where international commercial trade is prohibited.
In May 2024, a failed attempt to smuggle 1,076 Critically Endangered Spider Tortoises Pyxis aracnoides and 48 lemurs in Thailand’s Satun province exposed Aceh’s marine trafficking links to southern Thailand. Authorities revealed a network moving wildlife from Madagascar to Aceh, then by sea to Thailand and onward to Bangkok for export to Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.
Trafficking between Indonesia and Thailand over the decade involved 23,650 individuals. More interestingly, data also revealed that at least 1,225 of animals smuggled between the Indonesia-Thailand route species that only occur in Africa, a vast majority being tortoises and freshwater turtles. Of these, a stunning 92% were species native to Madagascar, including 1080 Critically Endangered and CITES Appendix I tortoises.
However overall, Horseshoe crabs, also seen in the January seizure, were the most trafficked by volume on this route, followed by seahorses and turtles and tortoises.
Additionally, TRAFFIC data showed that most trafficking incidents between the two countries involved smuggling via air rather than sea, with 9,650 animals confiscated either in an Indonesian or Thai airport.
“The seizure in January is clearly not an isolated case — it reveals a deeply entrenched network linking the two countries, for both native and non-native species that are highly threatened. The urgency for stronger scrutiny and coordinated action by both countries cannot be overstated,”
said Kanitha Krishnasamy, Director for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia.
Notes:
*All figures are minimum estimates based on known weights and individual counts from TRAFFIC's WiTIS Database – which is largely based on open-source records and selected data contributed by enforcement agencies and other organisations.
