Customs and Excise officers in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra, have seized 156 protected animals and 171 oil palm sprouts, hidden in fish fiber and being smuggled to Malaysia. The smugglers, attempting to disguise the illegal goods as fish, were identified and the evidence was secured and examined. The protected animals, including Belangkas, a type of blue-blooded marine arthropod, have been under protection since 2018. The palm sprouts, lacking the necessary documentation, were confiscated and handed over to the agricultural quarantine.