Monkeys, meth and mesh bags: Thai police arrest two for alleged animal trafficking

By Kocha Olarn, Lex Harvey, CNN

(CNN) — Thai police have arrested two men after they intercepted a pickup transporting dozens of monkeys inside mesh bags and a quantity of methamphetamine, authorities said, in one of two cases that saw 143 monkeys rescued from suspected wildlife smugglers in a single day.

Thailand is an international hub for wildlife trafficking, one of the world’s biggest illegal trades estimated to be worth between $7.8 and $10 billion per year, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In the first case, rangers were patrolling in southeast Thailand’s Khlong Hat District, near the border with Cambodia, when they heard “unusual animal noises” coming from a sugarcane field, according to a press release from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP).

After checking the area, the authorities found 10 plastic baskets hidden in the sugarcane containing 62 long-tailed macaques, a monkey native to Southeast Asia which is widely used in drug development because its DNA closely mirrors that of humans.

There is also a thriving black market for the species, which is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The monkeys – 44 males and 18 females – were bound inside blue nylon mesh bags, according to the press release.

The monkeys were in a weakened state and were transferred to a local wildlife rescue center.

Later that afternoon, rangers were patrolling in neighboring Aranyaprathet District when they spotted two men unloading blue mesh bags from a pickup truck on a country road near the Cambodian border, the DNP said.

After a car chase, police arrested two male suspects, who they identified as Thai nationals.

Inside the car they found 81 long-tailed macaques – 30 males, 51 females – tightly packed in mesh bags, as well as methamphetamine, according to the release. The monkeys were also transferred to the wildlife rescue center for treatment.

The suspects are facing offenses related to possessing and trading protected wildlife without permission, as well as charges for possessing and consuming illicit drugs, the DNP release said.

According to a police statement, the suspects in the second case said they were hired to smuggle the monkeys into Cambodia.

“The discovery of consecutive cases like this confirms that the border area remains a target for wildlife trafficking networks, especially for long-tailed macaques, which are in high demand internationally,” said Somruek Suppamitkrisana, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Division.

Earlier this year, Thai police arrested a man after he was found with two baby orangutans in a basket at a gas station in Bangkok.

Last November, Thailand repatriated home to Myanmar almost 1,000 highly endangered tortoises and lemurs, which they recovered during an anti-trafficking operation.

In March 2024, an endangered red panda was found alongside 86 other animals inside luggage at Bangkok airport, bound for Mumbai, customs authorities said.

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