Livestock and customs officials seized about 1.5 tonnes of pig carcasses yesterday (Sunday), which had been smuggled into Thailand’s eastern border province of Sa Kaeo from Cambodia.

The driver of the pickup truck containing the pork was arrested after a brief chase. He allegedly admitted that the carcasses were being delivered to a customer.

A livestock official said that, normally, Thai businessmen will place an order for pig carcasses with their Cambodian counterparts, who then arrange for the meat to be sent to a rendezvous near the Thai border, opposite Sa Kaew Province.

The contraband will then be smuggled across the natural border, where a pickup truck waits to take the meat to the buyers. The carcasses are normally covered with gunny bags, to avoid attracting the attention of police and security forces manning the various road checkpoints.

Two shipments of smuggled pork were intercepted in October, with a single shipment of about five tonnes, concealed in a refrigerated truck, being seized on October 31^st.

The Thai Livestock Development Department has tightened up controls on pork being smuggled into the country, to prevent the possible spread of the highly infectious African Swine Fever.