Police Arrest Van Driver Smuggling Rare Langur in Saraburi

Thai highway police have arrested a 29-year-old van driver after he was found transporting a rare Douc langur, a protected primate species, along a major highway in Saraburi province on 28 June 2026. The suspect, identified only as Wacharin was detained at kilometre marker 97 on Phahonyothin Road in Nong Nak, Nong Khae District. He has since been charged under Thailand’s wildlife protection laws.

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According to the Highway Police Division, officers from Highway Police Sub-Division 2, Division 1, acting under orders from senior commanders including Pol Maj Gen Phonsak Laorujiralai, Pol Col Thatcha Pothisuwan, Pol Lt Col Sorasak Saengchan, and Pol Maj Montri Sriwattanakul, stopped a white passenger van registered in Mukdahan for a routine inspection. During the stop, officers discovered a single Douc langur (Pygathrix spp.) confined in a cage placed beside the second-row passenger seats.

Authorities confirmed the animal is classified as a controlled wildlife species and is protected under Thai law and the CITES international wildlife trade convention, which restricts its import and export. The discovery led to the immediate arrest of the driver at the scene.

Investigators said Wacharin told police he had been hired by an unidentified individual to collect what he believed was a “monkey” from outside a Robinson department store in Mukdahan province. He was allegedly instructed to deliver the animal to Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok. He claimed he received an advance payment of 4,000 baht for the transport job.

Police have charged him with possessing a controlled wildlife species without notifying the relevant authorities, in violation of the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act 2019, including Sections 9 and 19 in conjunction with Section 90, as well as related ministerial regulations covering CITES-listed species.

Thaitabloid reported that authorities have transferred the suspect and the seized animal to Nong Khae Police Station for further legal proceedings. Investigators are now working to trace the individual who arranged the transport and to identify any wider trafficking network potentially involved in the illegal wildlife trade.

Picture courtesy of Thaitabloid

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Thaitabloid 30 June 2026

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