BANGKOK: Thai rangers have arrested two men suspected of being part of an international wildlife smuggling network, the military said on Saturday (Nov 15), after they were intercepted in a car carrying 81 macaques near the Cambodian border.
Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, who often sell highly-prized endangered creatures on the lucrative black market in China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
A patrol stopped the vehicle on Friday afternoon in the Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province, where troops found the monkeys stuffed into a blue net bag.
“At 3.20pm, authorities arrested the two suspects and inspected their vehicle,” the 12th Ranger Forces Regiment, which is responsible for the area, said in a statement on Facebook.
The soldiers also seized methamphetamine pills and crystal meth, though no quantities were specified.
Source: CNA
