A Mongolian man has been arrested after trying to smuggle protected wild animals out of Thailand. The unnamed man was detained at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (in Bangkok) on Saturday, February 17, according to a Thai PBS World report.
Confirming the arrest yesterday, Customs spokesperson Phantong Loykulnanta says the man was about to board a flight to the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar.
A search of his luggage, as it was about to be loaded into the cargo hold of the aircraft, revealed 46 fish, 2 Komodo dragons, 6 Indian star tortoises, 6 iguanas, 5 pythons, and a boa constrictor.
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These creatures are all classed as protected species under CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The Mongolian man faces charges of smuggling protected species and trying to export untaxed goods.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
