Rangers have arrested two men suspected of being part of an international wildlife smuggling network, the military said after they were intercepted in a car carrying 81 macaques near the Cambodian border.
Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, who often sell highly-prized endangered creatures on the lucrative black market in China, Taiwan and South-East Asia.
A patrol stopped the vehicle on Friday afternoon in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province, where troops found the monkeys stuffed into a blue net bag.
“At 3.20pm, authorities arrested the two suspects and inspected their vehicle,” the 12th Ranger Forces Regiment, which is responsible for the area, said in a statement on Facebook.
The soldiers also seized methamphetamine pills and crystal meth.
During questioning, the men admitted they were involved in a cross-border trafficking ring moving macaques from Thailand into Cambodia. Troops were working with police to pursue charges under wildlife-protection and narcotics laws.
Last year, Thailand sent almost 1,000 highly-endangered lemurs and tortoises back to their home in Madagascar, after both countries’ biggest operation against wildlife trafficking. — AFP
