The tables have been turned on two Indonesian reptile smugglers who have been captured, shining a spotlight of justice on the animals who the smugglers have held captive for far too long. Darmawan and Yongki, two students from Bogor Institute of Agriculture, were sentenced to five months each in prison after they were found in possession of thirty green tree pythons, three emerald tree monitors, a blue-tailed lizard, a frilled-neck lizard, a peach-throated monitor and a yellow monitor.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) alerted the Indonesian police that there had been Papuan reptiles found in Australia, along with the name of one of the suspects, which eventually led to the arrests. It has been said by an AFP spokeswoman that “the two suspects had been involved in an online international wildlife trafficking operation since 2012, primarily trading in reptiles, and their customers included Australian persons.”

Considering these two had been in the despicable business of selling lives like they were objects for years, we wish that their sentences would actually fit their crimes much better! Five months of jail time versus almost five years that they’ve spent smuggling animals just doesn’t seem fair.

On a positive note, we hope that with more continued cooperation between countries and organizations around the world, there will be more smugglers brought to justice!

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