Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry is proceeding with the prosecution of an illegal wildlife trader in Central Java, marking a key breakthrough in an expanding investigation into an international pangolin smuggling syndicate.The suspect, identified by the initials EO, was caught red-handed during a ministry operation with three live Javan pangolins (Manis javanica) and 20 kilograms of scales from the protected species.Formal charges have now been handed over to public prosecutors as investigators work to dismantle the larger criminal network behind the trade.Aswin Bangun, Head of the Forestry Law Enforcement Agency for Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, said in his statement on Friday that EO’s arrest in Semarang stems from a wider crackdown targeting massive shipments across major Indonesian transit hubs.Recent seizures tied to the broader ring include 3,053 kilograms of pangolin scales intercepted at Tanjung Priok Port and another 796.34 kilograms seized at Merak Port.”The investigation does not stop with the confiscation of evidence or the arrest of perpetrators in the field,” Aswin said.“It continues to expand to uncover the chain of crime—from hunters and collectors, to receivers, suppliers, shippers and the receiving network abroad,” he added.EO now faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to Rp5 billion (US$320,000) under Indonesian conservation laws.The Javan pangolin is heavily protected under Indonesian law, yet its populations remain severely threatened by intense poaching. The animals are trafficked live or slaughtered for their keratin scales, which command high prices on domestic and international black markets.The ministry’s Director General of Law Enforcement Dwi Januanto Nugroho emphasized that the illegal trade is no longer just a local issue, but a sophisticated transnational crime targeting the nation’s biodiversity.Therefore, the Forestry Ministry continues to investigate each case to uncover the relationships between the perpetrators, the flow of goods, shipping patterns and those who control and profit from the illegal trade.”Law enforcement is aimed not only at stopping a single shipment, but also at disrupting the network that turns Indonesia's biological resources into an international black market commodity,” Januanto stated.