Arrest at the airport. A red panda was found in the luggage

An unusual incident occurred at the Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi airport. Although attempts to smuggle illegal items are not uncommon, finding over 80 wild animals in suitcases must have shocked even experienced inspectors. The six smugglers intended to fly from Thailand to Mumbai, India. Unexpectedly, a red panda, parrots, as well as numerous lizards and snakes were found in their suitcases. Now the criminals face 10 years in prison.

Panda and other animals in checked luggage

The checked baggage that we hand over at the drop-off point is then checked by airport inspectors. Only when the services make sure that we are not carrying any dangerous or unauthorized items will it be packed into the luggage hold of the plane. Smugglers hope that they will be able to avoid inspection and transport goods worth huge amounts of money. Fortunately, attentive employees are able to detect irregularities. This shouldn't be particularly difficult if there are almost a hundred wild animals in your checked baggage.

This situation seems downright unbelievable. On Wednesday, March 6, six Indian citizens tried to smuggle animals hidden in their luggage during a flight from Bangkok to Mumbai. One of them was the red panda, a strictly protected species. “We discovered that the animals also included 29 lizards, 21 snakes, 15 birds, including parrots – a total of 87 individuals. The animals were hidden in luggage,” the statement said. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case of attempted trade in endangered species. Earlier this year, a passenger was detained in Colombia for trying to transport 130 poisonous frogs.

Smugglers face 10 years in prison

In photos from the arrest published online, we can see a red panda hiding in a basket, which naturally inhabits southern China, northern India, Nepal and Myanmar. Thailand is one of the main transit hubs for wildlife smugglers. Indian citizens who took part in illegal activities face 10 years in prison and a financial penalty.