Over 1,000 animals rescued from illegal wildlife trafficking in Bangkok

Busted: Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) apprehended Nguyen Ngui Kui, 40, Nguyen Thian Than, 39, and Nguyen Din Dai, 38, while they were loading boxes containing illegal wildlife onto a coach bus in Soi Ramintra, Lat Phrao District in Bangkok on Tuesday.

The authorities discovered that the coach bus had a secret compartment. They successfully rescued over 1,000 animals, including different species of turtles, chameleons, snakes and bulbuls, a breed of medium-sized passerine songbirds that are currently protected.

How they were found: DNP officers tracked a residence in Sinthon Village in the Bangkapi district of Bangkok after receiving intelligence from the Watchdog Thailand Foundation regarding potential wildlife trafficking. Their monitoring led to another address in Soi Ramintra, where the arrest was made.

What the suspects are saying: The three men initially claimed they bought the animals from a market in Bangkok. They later confessed that they were hired to smuggle them to Laos for 700 Thai baht ($20) per box and 4,000 Thai baht ($113) per trip.

The three Vietnamese nationals have been charged with possession of protected wild animals without permission under Thailand’s Section 17 of the Wild Animal Preservation and Protection Act. The offense carries jail time of up to five years, a fine of 500,000 Thai baht ($14,200) or both.