Thai police have arrested two men who intercepted a pickup truck transporting dozens of monkeys in mesh bags and a large quantity of methamphetamine, in one of two incidents in which 143 monkeys were rescued from suspected wildlife smugglers in one day, authorities said.
Thailand is an international hub for wildlife trafficking, one of the world’s largest illegal trade estimated to be worth between $7.8 billion and $10 billion annually, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In the first case, rangers were on patrol in the Klong Hat district in southeastern Thailand, near the border with Cambodia, when they heard “unusual animal sounds” coming from a sugarcane field, according to a press release from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Protection (DNP).
After investigating the scene, authorities found 10 plastic cages containing 62 long-tailed macaques hidden in sugarcane. These monkeys are native to Southeast Asia and are widely used in drug development because their DNA is very similar to human DNA.
There is also a thriving black market for this species, which is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
According to a press release, the monkeys (44 males and 18 females) were restrained in blue nylon mesh bags.
Due to the monkey’s weakened condition, it was transferred to a local wildlife rescue center.
Later that afternoon, rangers were patrolling the neighboring Aranyaprathet district when they spotted two men unloading blue mesh bags from a pickup truck on a rural road near the Cambodian border, DNP said.
After a car chase, police arrested two Thai male suspects.
Inside the vehicle, 81 long-tailed macaques (30 males and 51 females) and methamphetamine were found crammed into mesh bags, the statement said. The monkey was also transferred to a wildlife rescue center for treatment.
The suspects are charged with possession and trafficking of protected wildlife without a permit, as well as possession and consumption of illegal drugs, according to a DNP release.
Police said the suspects in the second case said they were hired to smuggle the monkeys into Cambodia.
“The discovery of such a series of cases confirms that the border region continues to be a target for wildlife trafficking networks, especially the internationally sought-after long-tailed macaque,” said Somluk Supamitkrisana, head of the wildlife conservation department.
Earlier this year, Thai police arrested a man after finding him with two baby orangutans in a basket at a Bangkok gas station.
In November last year, Thailand repatriated to Myanmar around 1,000 endangered turtles and lemurs recovered during an anti-trafficking operation.
In March 2024, an endangered red panda was found in luggage along with 86 other animals at Bangkok airport bound for Mumbai, according to customs authorities.
