An Indian national was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday morning for attempting to smuggle about 200kg of animal parts into Thailand.
The man, whose name was withheld, arrived from India with six heavy items of luggage, arousing the suspicion of customs and livestock officials who asked to search the bags.
They found cow hides, weighing about 60kg, and 140kg of pig’s canine teeth in the luggage.
The Indian man claimed that he intended to turn the teeth into amulets and to sell them as tiger teeth. He also allegedly intended to fool gullible buyers into believing that the cow hides were actually tiger skins.
He was, however, detained on charges of violating the animal epidemic law by attempting to smuggle animal parts into the country, which may have caused the spread of diseases, such as foot and mouth and Lumpy skin disease in cattle and African swine fever.
If convicted, he could face a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine not exceeding 200,000 baht.
