Teenager caught ‘making an attempt to smuggle 30 stay tortoises strapped to her physique’
A 19-year-old was arrested at Bangkok airport after allegedly being caught with 30 rare Indian Star tortoises taped to her body in an attempt to smuggle them to Taiwan
A 19-year-old Taiwanese woman allegedly taped dozens of live tortoises to her body(Image: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation)
A teenage traveller gave airport security the shock of a lifetime after she was allegedly caught attempting to smuggle dozens of rare tortoises strapped to her body. The 19-year-old Taiwanese national was reportedly intercepted at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport in the early hours of Tuesday morning as she prepared to board a flight to Taipei.
The woman’s bizarre behaviour is understood to have tipped off eagle-eyed security staff at around 5.25 am.
Komkrit Pinsai, chief of the airport’s wildlife inspection station, told the Bangkok Post that officers were alerted after noticing “suspicious body movements” from the passenger. The teenager was then taken to a private screening zone for a search.
Officials were horrified after they are claimed to have found 30 Indian Star tortoises hidden beneath her clothing.
Mr Komkrit claimed the animals had been tightly bound to prevent them from shifting in a desperate bid to bypass security
He said: “Officers discovered the protected wildlife wrapped with adhesive tape to limit movement. They were placed in cloth bags, attached to her body to evade detection by authorities.”
The stressful journey proved too much for one of the reptiles, which was found dead upon discovery.
The Indian Star tortoise is a highly sought-after species and is strictly protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Authorities noted that the animals fetch a staggering price on the illegal black market, making them a prime target for international smugglers.
The unnamed 19-year-old had been scheduled to fly on VietJet Air flight VZ568.
Instead of heading home, she was hauled off to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport police station.
She has officially been charged under the Wildlife Protection Act and remains in custody as investigations continue.
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