Komodo dragon, representative image only (Photo credit: AFP)

Surabaya: Indonesian authorities said on Wednesday they have arrested six people allegedly involved in the smuggling of endangered Komodo dragons, native to the archipelago and destined for Thailand.Two suspects were arrested in February in the port city of Surabaya on the east coast of Java island after they disembarked from a ship with three live Komodo dragons – the world’s largest living lizards.Further investigation led to four more arrests in the coming weeks.Police said the animals were obtained from “suppliers or hunters” in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, where they are native to a handful of small islands.The suspects are accused of buying the dragons for 5.5 million rupees (about $320) and selling them for six times that price, apparently to be shipped to customers in Thailand.According to East Java police, the suspects have smuggled and traded at least 20 Komodo dragons since January last year, making about $33,000.They face up to five years in jail and a fine.The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Komodo dragon as endangered, with a global population of about 3,400, including juveniles.The fearsome reptiles, which can grow up to three meters (10 feet) long and weigh up to 90 kilograms (200 pounds), are under threat from the destruction of their habitat by human activity and climate change.Hunters collect them to sell as pets or as performance animals.Wild Komodo dragons are found only in Indonesia’s World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and the neighboring Flores island.Police said on Wednesday they also arrested two suspects accused of smuggling 140 kilograms of pangolin scales from the northwestern province of Riau to Surabaya.Pangolins are among the world’s most endangered species, and their scales are prized in countries such as China and Vietnam, where they are used in traditional remedies, even though they do not provide scientifically proven medicinal benefits.