THAI POLICE ARREST WILDLIFE TRAFFICKER

Thai Police raided a downtown Bangkok residence, home to a suspected internet-based trafficker in illegal wildlife parts. Police detained a 25-year-old Thai man who allegedly tried to sell an orangutan skull to the undercover police for the price of 30,000 THB.

Police confiscated over 50 items of wildlife parts. Police also seized 8 highly endangered arowana fish found in the house.

Today’s action is a result of two-week long investigation by investigators from the Crime Suppression Division of Royal Thai Police. The unit usually deals with crimes related to drugs and violence but the officers said the increase awareness in wildlife crime has turned them on to this investigation.

Police identified some of the confiscated items hornbill beaks, serow horns, gaur horns, a baby elephant skull and several purported orangutan skulls.

These animals and their parts are protected by both Thai Wildlife Law and CITES, the Convention of International Trade on Endangered Species. The suspect may face charge under Wildlife law, which carries the sentence of up to four years in prison or a find of about 40,000 baht.

This latest raid is one of many recent anti-wildlife crime actions conducted by Thai authorities as the country is the principle lead in the ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement
Network or ASEAN-WEN.

Source: WildAid Foundation (Thailand) release dated May 3, 2007

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