Malaysian marine police detained two Indonesian men and seized 42 live pangolins from their boat during an anti-smuggling operation in the Straits of Malacca, a news report said Monday, dpa reported.
The men, aged 24 and 46, were caught when two marine police patrol vessels intercepted their high-powered boat early Sunday.
The suspects were believed to have brought the pangolins from Bengkalis in Indonesia's Sumatra island for sale in Malaysia's southern Johor state, the Star daily said.
The animals, which are highly priced in the black market for their flesh, have been valued at more than 100,000 ringgit (30,300 dollars).
The men have been remanded for investigations and will be charged with smuggling a protected animal species, said district marine police commanding officer Mohamad Pouzi.
He said the pangolins have been handed over to the state's Wildlife Department.