The Royal Thai Customs Investigation and Suppression Bureau and CITES Management Authority of Thailand arrested the smuggler at 5pm last night after inspecting his baggage coming off a Thai Airways flight. Mr. Saeed Shaikh, 44, a Pakistani national, had packed 1,140 rare star tortoises and one rare ghariyal into 4 suitcases on flight TG 322 from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The total value of the seized wildlife is estimated at more than $100,000.
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This latest raid at Suvarnabhumi airport is the fifth in a series of enforcement actions by Thai authorities within the last 5 weeks. Acting on tip offs from Freeland Foundation, Police previously nabbed illegal exotic animal dealers in Chatuchak Market on August 27th and more on September 25th. Police also arrested exotic animal dealers in Pattaya on September 12th. These enforcement actions are aimed at breaking up illegal cross border syndicates using Thailand to trade in exotic animals.
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“FREELAND congratulates the Royal Thai Customs and the CITES Management Authority of Thailand for working together to stop this illegal shipment, and more importantly, for catching the thief," said Freeland Director, Steven Galster. “Too often we see only the seizures, but no seizures of the trafficker. They got him this time!" FREELAND is cooperating with authorities to provide more information on illegal traders who may be connected to yesterday's shipment.
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Mr. Shaikh was arrested with his name on the luggage tags. The species, if traded, must be accompanied by permits from CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). He denied the possession and was brought to the Nature Crime Division of the Royal Thai Police for further investigation. The star tortoises and juvenile crocodile were confiscated and relocated to the Thai Government rescue center at the Department of National Parks.
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While the extensive investigation and associated arrests were designed and sponsored by Thai Wildlife Enforcement Network (Thai-WEN), the team responsible for the operations benefited from training arranged by the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), sponsored in part by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and FREELAND Foundation.
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Thailand has stepped up efforts to stop the illegal sale of exotic animals. Poaching and trafficking operations, often backed by organized crime, remove species such as reptiles, turtles and primates from Southeast Asia's protected areas and sell them in as pets. This trade is threatening the continued survival of many rare and important species.
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“FREELAND and other organizations are calling on Thai legislators to strengthen and tighten up Thailand's weak wildlife law, which is encouraging smugglers and traders to risk doing their illegal business in Thailand," said Galster.
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If convicted, arrested smuggler face up to four years imprisonment and a fine of up to THB 40,000 (USD 1,250) for violating Thailand's Wild Animal Reservation and Preservation Act B.E.2535 (illegally processing protected animals and illegally importing wildlife) and Customs Act B.E.2469 (illegally importing smuggled goods).Â
For more information and high-resolution photographs, contact FREELAND Media Liaison Pornvadee Piyakhun at +66 22042719 or +66 818598629, or by email at pornvadee@freeland.org
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FREELAND Foundation is an international organization dedicated to ending the illegal wildlife trade, conserving natural habitats and protecting human rights. FREELAND works throughout Asia, raising public awareness and building local capacity to protect critical ecosystems, wildlife and human rights. FREELAND is the lead implementing partner of the U.S. Support Program for the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), a program that provides investigative assistance, training and other capacity building support to Southeast Asian authorities tasked with stopping illegal wildlife trade - a major threat to biodiversity. For more information, visit www.freeland.org
