KOTA KINABALU: Sabah wildlife enforcers have nabbed an online turtle egg seller and seized 20 eggs from endangered sea turtles in Putatan near here today.
The 21-year-old suspect was wanted by the Sabah Wildlife Department for actively marketing turtle eggs on his Facebook page.
Following public complaints, the department enforcement team launched 'Op Tapau' to track the man down and successfully arrested him at 11am at a parking lot near the Putatan Survey Hypermarket area.
State Wildlife director Augustine Tuuga said during the operation, enforcers inspected a Proton Wira car and found two food containers, each containing 10 turtle eggs.
Tuuga reminded the people that all turtles species are totally protected under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
Therefore, it is an offence to store or to have in possession a wildlife animal or wildlife products without permission from the Sabah Wildlife Department, he said.
Those committing such offence could be fined between RM50,000 and RM250,000, and jailed between one to five years, if convicted.