THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Haul of tusks, pangolin parts in Samui ‘will lead to arrests’

Haul of tusks, pangolin parts in Samui ‘will lead to arrests’

THE AUTHORITIES confiscated Bt40 million worth of elephant tusks and pangolin scales at Samui International Airport earlier this month, Customs Department’s director-general Kulis Sombatsiri said at a press conference yesterday.

“Officials minutely X-rayed cargo boxes and found these illicit items,” he said, adding that this was the biggest haul this year. 
He explained that the boxes contained 281 tusks and 12 bags of pangolin scales, worth Bt38 million and Bt2 million respectively.
He said the haul had been sent out of Nigeria on December 8 and the destination was Laos. 
“We closely checked the air cargo after getting a tip-off that illegal ivory traders would be transporting illicit items via airports,” Kulis said, adding that the tusks would undergo DNA tests in a move to gather evidence against wrongdoers. 
“The test will take about a month,” he said, adding that he expected the evidence to lead to the arrest and prosecution of wrongdoers. 
On April 25, Thai authorities participated in an operation to intercept and seize 3.3 tonnes of ivory, which led to the arrest of 11 suspects and seizure of their assets in Kenya. 
 
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