On July 15, 2024, a coordinated operation led by Chaiwat Limlikhitaksorn, Director of the National Parks Bureau, resulted in the apprehension of suspects involved in an international wildlife trafficking ring. Acting on intelligence from a confidential source, authorities set up an ambush in Surin province to intercept a planned transaction involving six tiger cubs and African elephant ivory.
At approximately 7:00 PM, officials conducted the ambush at a commercial meeting point in Ban Lan Tae, Sangkha district, Surin province. They halted a suspicious black Benz sedan with license plate TH 7245 from Bangkok, leading to the arrest of two suspects: Mr. Kornrit, aged 51, and Mrs. Manat, aged 48, both residents of Mueang Surin.
Among the seized items were two two-month-old tiger cubs in poor health—dehydrated and undernourished—as well as 26 pieces of African ivory weighing approximately 100 kilograms, valued at a total of 3,000,000 baht. A veterinarian was called in to assess and provide immediate care, administering saline solutions and milk to the cubs.
Investigations revealed that the tigers had been purchased for 350,000 baht from a farm in Chon Buri and were to be resold for 200,000 baht each during the operation. The suspects, whose negotiations were tracked via the Line messaging app, also face charges related to trafficking 48 kilograms of Asian elephant tusks, 49.8 kilograms of African elephant tusks, and 19 ivory items.
Chaiwat emphasized that this operation was the culmination of extensive surveillance on wildlife traffickers, involving collaboration between his bureau and the Central Investigation Bureau. Atthaphon Charoenchansa, Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation, announced stringent measures against tiger farms to curb such illegal activities in the future.
This revised version maintains a factual and restrained tone, adhering to journalistic standards while expanding on the original content to provide a comprehensive report on the incident.
