Bukit Aman internal security and public order department director Hazani Ghazali said the raids in Perak involved seizures of white-rumped Shamas, cages, assorted birds, firearms and ketum leaves worth RM717,500.

“We carried out raids in Bukit Merah, Perak, where we detained a local man, 44, and seized 72 white-rumped Shamas and 47 cages worth RM694,500,” he said in a statement here today.

He said yesterday another raid was conducted in Gerik, Perak, that led to the arrest of two Thai men, 33 and 37, along with a seizure of four birds.

Hazani added that three firearms believed to be a shotgun, an improvised gun, a pistol, five crossbows, 25 shotgun shells and a bag containing an estimated 300gms of ketum leaves with a total value of RM23,000 were seized.

All suspects have been remanded under Section 117 of the Criminal Code for further investigations, he said.

“The police believe there are other members still free and actively hunting protected animals and we will not compromise in tracking them down and stopping them,” he added.