National —
On September 14th, 2024, the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED), in collaboration with related agencies, arrested two Thai suspects involved in smuggling wildlife from Indonesia into Thailand.
The suspects, 28-year-old Mr. Thosaphon and 30-year-old Mr. Somporn (whose last names were withheld by the officers), were arrested in Lam Thap District, Krabi, with 10 yellow tortoises, 11 Moluccan cockatoos, and numerous other wildlife species.
The operation followed a tip-off from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, indicating that a wildlife smuggling network was transporting animals from Sumatra, Indonesia, through Satun Province into Thailand, with plans to sell them in Bangkok or abroad.
During interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed to being hired by a man known only as “Mr. Bang” to deliver the animals to Chatuchak Market in Bangkok.
They were charged with possession of protected and controlled wildlife without authorization and handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings and to expand the investigation into the smuggling network.
