Police Bust Wildlife Smuggling Ring, Arrest Two in Bangkok
Authorities arrested a Cambodian man and Thai accomplice in Bangkok with a Philippine eagle and slow loris, breaking up a cross-border smuggling network that trafficked endangered animals to Taiwan and India.
On September 10, Lieutenant General Anucha Tasupha, commander of the Wildlife Crime Suppression Division, ordered an operation led by Police Major Peritum Ratthummarach, chief of the division's first investigation unit, in cooperation with the Wildlife Enforcement Task Force and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officers. They arrested Sarath Roen, 35, a Cambodian national, and Nares Sinkhram, 39, a Thai national, at a gas station on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Phayathai District, Bangkok. Officers recovered a Philippine eagle (CITES Appendix I, number 319) and a slow loris (CITES Appendix I, number 121).
The arrests followed an earlier investigation into a cross-border wildlife trafficking network that had smuggled animals aboard aircraft to Taiwan and India. Police identified Sarath as a key organizer who recruited street vendors to sell protected wildlife to foreign buyers through online channels. Officers arranged an undercover purchase and meeting at the gas station. When Sarath and Nares arrived by motorcycle with a cardboard box strapped to the rear containing the eagle and loris, officers moved in and arrested both men.
During interrogation, both suspects confessed. Police charged them with unlicensed trafficking in and possession of protected wildlife. Sarath faced an additional charge of overstaying his visa. Both remain in custody pending further legal proceedings.
