NONTHABURI: A man has been arrested in Bang Bua Thong district for possessing and selling carcasses of Sumatran tigers, says the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED).
Charlie Meepra, 60 was nabbed at a house in tambon Bang Rak Pattana on Saturday night during a search in which police found three complete carcasses of Sumatran tigers.
NED deputy commander Pol Col Arun Wachirasrisukanya, who led the search, said Mr Charlie initially offered to sell the carcasses for 900,000 baht to a police officer who posed as a buyer. The covert officer bargained the price down to 200,000 baht, to which Mr Charlie agreed. The suspect however cancelled the sale on suspicion of being targeted by police.
NED police continued the investigation and found that Mr Charlie had hidden the big cat carcasses at the house. They sought a search warrant from the court, Pol Col Arun said.
Mr Charlie admitted to obtaining the Sumatran tiger carcasses from Indonesia more than 40 years ago and said he wanted to sell them due to having a financial problem.
The arrest was part of an ongoing joint operation between Thailand’s Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), a non-profit organisation based in the Netherlands, to counter transnational wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia.
Mr Charlie was charged with possessing and selling carcasses of protected wildlife without permission. The offence carries a maximum prison term of four years and/or a fine of up to 40,000 baht.