Thailand Disrupts Rhino Horn Smuggling Route to Laos

BANGKOK — On 10 February 2026, Thai wildlife authorities arrested a Vietnamese man at Suvarnabhumi Airport and seized 11.75 kilograms of rhino horn, breaking up a transnational wildlife trafficking operation using Thailand as a transit point to Laos. Sadudee Phanphakdee, director of the Office of Wildlife and Plant Protection, confirmed the arrest was the result of joint operations with border control and law enforcement agencies to combat cross-border wildlife crime. The 36-year-old suspect was caught while attempting to transport the contraband through Thailand, with authorities discovering six pieces of rhino horn and three pieces of animal hide in a foam box during an X-ray inspection. The man, who traveled from Lubumbashi via Ethiopia and was heading to Vientiane, was charged under wildlife preservation, customs, and animal epidemics laws, and the seized items were sent to the Wildlife Forensic Science Centre for further investigation.