A 19-year-old Taiwanese passenger was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport for attempting to smuggle 30 Indian Star tortoises to Taipei. Discovered by airport officials due to suspicious movements, the tortoises were strapped to her body, wrapped in adhesive tape, and placed in cloth bags.

Get today's headlines by email

This incident unfolded early Tuesday morning when wildlife officials, led by Komkrit Pinsai, chief of the Wildlife Inspection Station, identified the illegal cargo during a screening at the departure terminal. The Indian Star tortoise is a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and is highly valued on the black market.

The suspect, whose name remains undisclosed, was scheduled to fly on VietJet Air flight VZ568. With one tortoise found dead among those smuggled, authorities took her into custody at the airport's police station, charging her under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Join the discussion?

Already a member?

  Adapted by ASEAN Now · Bangkok Post · 29 Apr 2026

View full article

How many were stuffed into her body cavities?

Wildlife smugglers really are a low form of criminal. They treat living creatures as disposable cargo, with no concern for the suffering they cause or the long‑term damage to a country’s biodiversity.

As the World Wildlife Fund notes, wildlife smugglers are frequently part of sophisticated, international organized crime gangs (often referred to as "syndicates" or "super gangs") that also traffic drugs, weapons, and humans.

WWF also say that these groups are involved in the illegal wildlife trade because it is a highly lucrative, low-risk, multi-billion dollar business.

Anyone caught trafficking protected species should face serious consequences.

If the penalties aren't harsh enough to deter this trade then the cruelty and ecological loss will just continue.