Police apprehended two individuals for attempting to smuggle 81 live monkeys along with a stash of class A substances. The pair, suspected members of an international wildlife trafficking network, were caught transporting numerous macaques along with methamphetamine pills and crystal meth concealed in sealed blue bags near the Thai-Cambodian border.
Photographs depicted the two men in handcuffs after being detained by the Royal Thai Police following a vehicle interception in Sa Kaeo province. The confiscated drugs and monkeys are subject to legal actions under wildlife protection and narcotics regulations.
According to a statement on Facebook by the 12th Ranger Regiment of the Royal Thai Army, they pursued a “suspicious vehicle,” a dark grey Toyota Revo, along Road 3383 towards a remote area near the Cambodian border. The culprits were seen unloading the blue net bags containing monkeys and drugs with mutual assistance.
An army officer intervened for inspection, but the men fled in the car, leaving a bag of monkeys behind. A pursuit ensued, leading to the arrest of the suspects by soldiers who summoned wildlife checkpoint officials and law enforcement.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the men were hired to transport the monkeys to Cambodia as part of the illegal trade in endangered animals in Southeast Asia. The trafficking of macaques, which can fetch substantial sums internationally, is often intertwined with activities of drug and human smugglers.
Earlier, rangers discovered 62 long-tailed macaques in a sugarcane field near the Thai-Cambodian border during a patrol. The weakened monkeys, comprising 44 males and 18 females, were rescued and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center for care.
Somruek Suppamitkrisana, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Division, highlighted the persistent threat of wildlife trafficking networks in border regions, especially concerning long-tailed macaques due to their high demand globally.