Man in Malaysia pleads guilty to possessing $11.6 million worth of wildlife parts
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JOHOR BARU – A Vietnamese man pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing various protected wildlife parts without a licence.
Hoang Van Thai, 39, entered his plea after the charges were read out in Vietnamese before Sessions Court judge Madihah Zainol in Johor Bahru on April 10.
Hoang was found in possession of 1,022 gall bladders and 191 tongues of reticulated pythons, a protected wildlife species, without a licence.
He was accused of committing the offence in a house at Jalan Ros Merah 4/6, Taman Johor Jaya, at about 9.50pm on April 4 2026.
Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) deputy public prosecutor Mas Izzaty Lokman requested a date for the submission of morphology reports.
She also urged the court not to allow bail, citing the seriousness of the offence and Hoang’s status as a non-citizen.
However, lawyer Fazaly Ali Mohd Ghazali argued that nationality should not be a factor, saying there should be no disparity in treatment between locals and foreigners.
He added that the prosecution had yet to provide key documents or statements to substantiate the scale of the offences.
Judge Madihah set April 20 for the next mention of the case and confirmation of Hoang’s immigration status before deciding on bail.
On April 4, Perhilitan uncovered a stockpile of wildlife parts, including snake and bear gallbladders, worth over RM36.8million (S$11.6 million) at a house in Taman Johor Jaya.
In a statement, Perhilitan director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said the suspect failed to produce valid documents for possession of the items, and the case is being investigated under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
