Protected Hornbill and Gibbon Seized in Bangkok Wildlife Trafficking Bust; Two Arrested

Thai authorities have arrested a Cambodian national and a Thai man in Bangkok for allegedly being involved in international wildlife trafficking, after undercover officers arranged to buy a protected rhinoceros hornbill. The arrests were announced by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED), the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation’s “Wild Hawk” team, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The suspects, identified as a 35-year-old Cambodian national and a 39-year-old Thai man, are charged with jointly trading and possessing protected wildlife without permission under Thailand’s Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019). The Cambodian suspect also faces an immigration charge for overstaying his visa. The investigation stemmed from a broader case involving the illegal trafficking of wildlife onto aircraft for sale in Taiwan and India. Investigators from NED Division 1 identified the Cambodian suspect as a key supplier sourcing protected animals for foreign customers through online channels. Undercover officers then arranged a sting operation to purchase a rhinoceros hornbill, agreeing to meet the suspects at a PTT petrol station on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Phaya Thai district. The suspects arrived on a motorcycle carrying a perforated cardboard box, which contained plastic cages holding the hornbill and a gibbon. Both were arrested, and the animals were seized as evidence. Police reported that both men confessed to the charges during initial interrogation. They have been handed over to NED Division 1 for further legal proceedings. The operation highlights the ongoing efforts to dismantle international trafficking networks dealing in protected wildlife, involving collaboration between Thai wildlife authorities, the CIB, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.