The Thai Customs Department confiscated 136 live pangolins and 450 kilograms of pangolin scales on Wednesday, late at night in Prachuap Khiri Khan province’s Pranburi district.
The haul is worth about THB2.5 million (USD75,324), reported Thai PBS.
The director-general of the Customs Department, Kulit Sombatsiri, made the seizure after getting a tip that the protected animals were being smuggled from Malaysia that night and moved via pick-up truck to Prachuap Khiri Khan. The department set up a road checkpoint on the main road used to enter the province.
As expected, the pangolins were located. It was believed that the animals were to be used in Chinese medicine or as food, since some consider the animals a delicacy.
Pangolins are among the most trafficked animals in Asia, with most demand coming from China and Vietnam.
