Russian sentenced to 1 year in prison for attempting to smuggle drugged baby orangutan out of Indonesia
Yesterday, the Denpasar Court sentenced a Russian national, Andrei Zhestkov, to one year in prison for having attempted to smuggle a drugged orangutan out of Indonesia.
“The defendant is guilty of violating Article 40 and Article 21 in the 1990 Law on Conservation,” said Bambang Eka Putra, who heads the panel of judges, as quoted by Kumparan.
Zhestkov’s final sentence was heavier than what prosecutors demanded, which was six months’ imprisonment. He is also required to pay a fine of IDR 10 million (USD 710), or serve an additional two months in prison otherwise.
The 28-year-old was arrested at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport in March while passing through a security screening, where he was allegedly caught carrying the orangutan in his suitcase, as reported by CNN Indonesia.
Zhestkov was stopped by airport authorities then, who promptly asked him to open up his luggage, in which they found the unconscious baby orangutan.
Orangutans are a critically endangered species, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), with an estimated population of only about 100,000 remaining worldwide.
