Nine Suspects Arrested in Illegal Wildlife Trafficking: Nearly 10 Million Baht in Elephant Tusks and Pangolin Scales Seized
Police arrested nine suspects operating an illegal wildlife trafficking network through a secret Facebook group, seizing nearly 10 million baht in African elephant tusks and pangolin scales smuggled through the Mekong River from Vietnam.
On May 11, 2025, law enforcement agencies including the Central Investigation Command and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced the results of 'Operation Broken Ivory,' a crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking. The operation targeted administrators of a secret Facebook group called 'Ivory and Fangs: Amulets from Animals' that was trafficking in elephant tusks and pangolin scales.
According to Deputy Commander Patompong Thongjamrun, investigators initially made undercover purchases from multiple sellers in the group and confirmed that all tusks were of African elephant origin. The investigation revealed that the network had been operating for approximately one year with about 10 million baht in circulation. The ivory was imported from Africa via Vietnam, with suspects coordinating with Vietnamese workers in Thailand to acquire the tusks before smuggling them into the country through natural waterways along the Mekong River.
On May 7, 2025, police arrested nine suspects across seven provinces: Samut Sakhon, Utha Thani, Kamphaeng Phet, Chumphon, Songkhla, Chachoengsao, and Chanthaburi. The suspects included Jintana (surname withheld), 52; Panita, 42; Sudaratana, 50; Wangsatda, 42; Nipat, 31; Tawee Sakdi, 41; Worapong, 51; Amporn, 49; and Bunsong, 54.
Raids at eleven locations yielded 13 categories of seized items totaling approximately 9.9 million baht in value. These included 140 kilograms of elephant tusk sections, 40 kilograms of cut tusk pieces, 50 kilograms of resin-pressed ivory, 160 carved tusk handles, 2 kilograms of manta ray gill plates, various ivory jewelry and ornaments, processing equipment, scales, and one pangolin specimen. Elephant tusks and ivory products were valued at approximately 7.5 million baht, while carved tusk handles were valued at approximately 2.4 million baht.
