JAKARTA, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian police and quarantine officials have arrested a Japanese man for illegally attempting to bring more than 250 reptiles out of the country, conservationist said here on Thursday.
The man tried to smuggle 181 lizards, 65 snakes and seven turtles from provincial capital of North Sumatra of Medan to Haneda of Japan, said Tisna Nando, a conservationist at Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia.
Nando said that some of the reptiles are classified as endangered species.
"The officials found something strange in a luggage during X-ray check, when it was opened, there were reptiles inside," the conservationist told local media of Kompas.com.
Ruchyana, vice director of Angkasa Pura II, operator of the airport, said that the arrested man is a major player in illegal wildlife trade.
He attempted to smuggle reptiles which are protected by the Indonesian government and the international communities, said Ruchyana.
Naito could be charged under Indonesian animal quarantine law which leads him to undergo up to three years in prison.
Indonesia, an archipelago country with over 17,500 islands, is home to numerous of reptiles, and some of them are on the brink of extinction due to poaching.
