Jakarta, Aug. 27 -- Indonesian authorities have arrested a Vietnamese national suspected of involvement in a transnational wildlife trafficking syndicate that attempted to smuggle over three tons of critically endangered Sunda pangolin ( Manis javanica ) scales.

The suspect, identified by the initials VXH, was apprehended Wednesday (Aug. 26) in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, following a months-long investigation.

Aswin Bangun, head of the Forestry Ministry's Law Enforcement Office for the Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara regions, confirmed in Jakarta on Thursday that the arrest is directly linked to a major seizure earlier this year.

In February, customs officials at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port intercepted 3,053 kilograms of pangolin scales...