BANGKOK: Thai authorities have arrested a Malaysian man at Suvarnabhumi Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 250 live wild animals to India, in the latest crackdown on transnational wildlife trafficking networks.
In a joint operation involving the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and several enforcement agencies on May 24, officers intercepted the 34-year-old suspect at about 3.45 am near boarding gate F3, Zone 3 of the airport’s international departure terminal.
According to Thai authorities, the suspect was due to travel from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, India.
"A search of his checked luggage uncovered live animals concealed inside a wheeled suitcase, including two helmeted hornbills, two Patagonian maras, 62 iguanas, five monitor lizards, 100 blue-tongued skinks and 80 freshwater turtles," Thai authorities said in a statement.
Authorities said the suspect has been charged under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act 2019, the Customs Act 2017, the Animal Epidemics Act 2015 and the Fisheries Royal Ordinance 2015.
He was later handed over to investigators at Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station for further legal action.
The seized animals, many of them still alive, have been transferred to wildlife and fisheries authorities for care, species identification and use as evidence in the ongoing investigation.
Authorities are also expanding investigations to identify other individuals linked to the trafficking syndicate. - Bernama
