Thailand's Wildlife Crime Intelligence Center arrested a Sri Lankan man at Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Thailand) on July 2 for trying to smuggle three pythons out of the country by hiding them in his underwear.
Polwee Buchakiat, director of the Wildlife Crime Intelligence Centre, said the suspect, identified only as “Shenan”, took a flight from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Bangkok, Thailand, on July 1.
The center has received reports from Thai wildlife protection units and foreign agencies.
Shenan was reportedly involved in the trafficking of various wildlife species, including wolves, meerkats, black parrots, sugar gliders, porcupines, ball pythons, monitor lizards, frogs, salamanders and turtles.
He was also arrested in Colombo in 2024 for a wildlife crime.
This campaign is supported by international organizations such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
After Shenan checked in at Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 7 p.m. on July 2, he passed through the X-ray screening area. The staff also checked his large suitcase but found no contraband.
However, during the body check, they discovered three ball pythons (Python regius) hidden in the suspect's underwear. This is a species protected under Appendix II of the CITES Convention.
The man was arrested for attempting to export protected wildlife without a permit and violating customs inspection procedures upon export.
The Python regius is known as the ball python because of its habit of curling up into a ball when frightened. It is also known as the "Royal Python" because it is said that Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII used to let it curl up on her wrist.
Ball pythons are commonly found in Africa and are the smallest snake species on the continent. Adults usually do not exceed 120cm in length. They are quite calm and not aggressive.
Recently, customs authorities of many countries have recorded a series of cases related to wildlife smuggling on many flights.
Earlier in May, Indian Customs authorities at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai, India) arrested a passenger for attempting to smuggle dozens of live venomous snakes and protected wildlife species into the country.
According to initial information, the passenger took flight TG317 of Thai Airways on May 31. Detecting suspicious signs, Indian authorities conducted a thorough check of the person's checked baggage.
Customs then discovered a hidden shipment of rare and dangerous animals, including 44 Indonesian vipers. In addition, the luggage also contained three spider-tailed snakes, which are venomous snakes, and five Asian leaf turtles. The shipment was hidden in the Indian passenger's checked baggage.
Mumbai Customs released photographs of the contraband, which showed blue and yellow snakes writhing in a bucket.
This is not an isolated case. Mumbai customs has recorded several cases of wildlife smuggling in recent months, including Siamang gibbons, turtles, and hornbills.
These animals were all smuggled from Thailand, raising concerns about the wildlife trafficking route between the two countries. The case is being handled according to relevant legal regulations.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/nguoi-dan-ong-len-giau-3-con-tran-trong-quan-de-mang-len-may-bay-20250704162407711.htm
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