Suvarnabhumi Customs arrest a Cambodian for smuggling ivory tusks worth 2 mil Baht

[webfact]

Two million baht worth of ivory tusks confiscated in Samut Prakan

SAMUT PRAKAN, 15 April 2014 (NNT) – Twenty-two kilograms of elephant tusks have been confiscated at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Suvarnabhumi’s Customs Office authorities have arrested a Cambodian man who was trying to smuggle 7 elephant tusks and other ivory-made accessories, worth around 2 million baht altogether, through the airport.

After the arrest, the man confessed that he was delivering the tusks to a man in Hanoi City, Vietnam.

According to authorities, all of the confiscated items will be forwarded to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Thai authorities will also contact responsible agencies in Vietnam to find out who is the mastermind behind this operation.

Elephant tusks are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It is a multilateral treaty that protects endangered plants and animals, including elephants.


-- NNT 2014-04-15

[chainarong]

It never ceases to amaze, the idiots that try to just walk through an airport customs, with contraband and expect to get cleared, to make it more appalling, an animal had to suffer, so this piece of Sh!!t could make some money. Needs to be hanged by the nuts, till the crows peck he's eyes out.

[NeilSA1]

It never ceases to amaze, the idiots that try to just walk through an airport customs, with contraband and expect to get cleared, to make it more appalling, an animal had to suffer, so this piece of Sh!!t could make some money. Needs to be hanged by the nuts, till the crows peck he's eyes out.

While some people are caught, there are probably many who do manage to get away with it, but obviously we only hear of the ones that are apprehended.

Agree - "Needs to be hanged by the nuts".

[Dibbler]

He would not have tried to smuggle the ivory through this hub had there not been a good chance he could get through undetected! A string of large ivory seizures at Suwannaphum Airport over the past few years suggests the route is used frequently for moving ivory between Africa and Hong Kong/China. There must be many more shipments that pass through without being picked up.

The article does not say whether he was trying to leave the airport with the package after a flight or connecting inside the airport to another flight? African ivory is increasingly smuggled to Vietnam through Cambodia, so presumably some of that must be coming through Bangkok by road or air.

[geriatrickid]

I'd like to give him the option of naming names or being executed.

[tango]

Recently poachers are resorting to poisoning the watering holes of numerous elephant herds, then de-tusking those with tusks, but killing all elephants including babies. Other vast quantities of wild fauna succumb too.

I had read somewhere, but can't find the source, stating the British Army has affiliated sniper teams with helicopters, to affected nation(s) to search out,capture or kill the poachers.

Now for a solution to the inhumane slaughter of dogs in Asia....

[khaowong1]

How in the hell do you expect to get 7 tusks through the airport.. was he hiding them in his bung hole?

[bigbamboo]

How in the hell do you expect to get 7 tusks through the airport.. was he hiding them in his bung hole?

I can recall a few years ago someone did managed to get 76 suitcases through Suvanabhumi once but she was a very well connected elite and all the baggage scanners were out of order at the time.

[ThaiMouse]

Ok kill our elephants and rhinos and we South Africans will come and kill your Panda bears. Ling Pings ball bag for a tobacco pouch. the rest of the cuddly cretins skins as throw rugs for our beds and and their paws as back scratchers when mounted on long sticks. Their little guts we can use for tennis raquets strings and then if their eyes glow, we use them as road markers? Tit for tat fellows.

[MyFriend You]

Should have taken the train.........all kidding aside, he will pbly be fined 200K Baht and let go, didn't read where the tusks came from, Indonesia, Thailand, Africa??

[tim armstrong]

So how do you smuggle 22kgs of ivory tusks through an airport and think you would get away with it ? Must be many handlers along the chain?