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11 months ago
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When the Taiwanese smuggler queued up for airport security, he'd hoped that staff wouldn't notice the huge bulge in his trousers - and the fact that it kept moving.
But staff at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport quickly became suspicious of his huge package and pulled the tourist, 22, to one side.
The man, who has not been named, tried not to react as his bulge in his pants kept moving as he stood for an X-Ray scan. But his plan was quickly scuppered when the X-Ray images revealed what appeared to be a trio of furry animals.
Shocked staff then strip searched the smuggler and to their surprise, they found two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog he had crammed into his designer boxer shorts after buying them from a market in Bangkok.
The protected wildlife had been stuffed in three separate stockings taped to the man's pants before making his way to the airport on Tuesday.
Phakkapong Phathong, Suvarnabhumi Animal Quarantine chief, said the tourist was arrested at 9:05 am and had been due to board Thai Airways flight TG632 to Taipei, Taiwan.
When the Taiwanese smuggler queued up for airport security, he'd hoped that staff wouldn't notice the huge bulge in his trousers - and the fact that it kept moving
The protected wildlife had been stuffed in three separate stockings taped to the man's pants before making his way to the airport on Tuesday
Shocked staff then strip searched the smuggler and to their surprise, they found two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog he had crammed into his designer boxer shorts after buying them from a market in Bangkok
Airport staff were shocked to find a prairie dog (pictured) in the man's trousers
Customs Department spokesman Phanthong Loykulnant added: 'Thailand is not a gateway to smuggle exotic animals out of the country. We will catch anyone who tries to take animals on planes.'
The Taiwanese man is now facing charges for violating several sections of Thailand's Customs Act, Animal Epidemics Act, and Animal Conservation and Protection Act.
He was detained at the Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station while the rescued animals were handed over to the Wildlife Conservation Office.
The Asian small-clawed otter is native to South and Southeast Asia and is the smallest otter species in the world. It is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to North American grasslands. Two of the five prairie dog species are endangered.
Thailand is a major transit hub for the illegal wildlife trade, with smugglers often transporting live animals to nearby China.
Shocked staff then strip searched the smuggler and to their surprise, they found two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog he had crammed into his designer boxer shorts after buying them from a market in Bangkok
He was detained at the Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station while the rescued animals were handed over to the Wildlife Conservation Office
When the Taiwanese smuggler queued up for airport security, he'd hoped that staff wouldn't notice the huge bulge in his trousers - and the fact that it kept moving
The Taiwanese man is now facing charges for violating several sections of Thailand's Customs Act, Animal Epidemics Act, and Animal Conservation and Protection Act
The arrest comes just two months after a woman successfully smuggled an otter, rat and other animals through the same airport on October 4.
The creatures escaped mid-air causing screams from passengers onboard an Airbus A320 operated by Vietnamese carrier Viet Jet flying from Bangkok to Taiwan.
Shockingly, a box of 28 live turtles was also found when police searched the plane upon landing in Taipei following the three-hour and 45-minute low-cost flight.
Bungling airport chiefs later admitted that security staff noticed live animals in the passenger's hand luggage but waved through the bags on the conveyor belt.
They later suspended the employee involved and given other workers strict guidance on what to check for.
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