JAKARTA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Center in Riau Islands province thwarted an attempt to smuggle protected seahorse species, a senior official said on Friday.
The dried seahorses, weighing 20 kg in total, were concealed in snack packaging in four suitcases, according to Herwintarti, head of the center.
The smuggled species were carried by a foreign national from Egypt, she noted.
"The suspect admitted to obtaining these seahorses through a transaction made via a trading group on Facebook," she said.
Investigations revealed that the seized seahorses belong to three protected species. ■
