Bangkok (Thailand) – March 20, 2017 (travelindex.com) – In a major move in the fight against corruption that fuels the wildlife trade, Thailand's Attorney General Pongniwat Yutthapanborikarn announced that a senior official is being placed on inactive duty today while his possible role in the illegal seizure of US$5 million of rhino horn at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport last week is investigated. Investigations may also be launched against other Thai officials and two Thai civilians who fled the scene.

On March 10, Thai customs officials at the airport inspected two suspicious suitcases and discovered they were filled with rhino horn – a commodity that can fetch more than gold per kilogram on the black market. Several police officers, including the high-ranking official under investigation, a prosecutor, and two Thai women, accompanied the suitcases. Surveillance camera footage shows the officers escorting the official and possibly guarding the suitcases.

Customs officials refused to allow the cargo to pass, even though an officer was escorting the luggage, and called in the police and national park authorities for a joint investigation. Customs officials began questioning the people accompanying the luggage. The two women fled. Arrest warrants have been issued for them. Authorities are also investigating the possible role of the police officers in the incident.

Freeland, a Bangkok-based anti-trafficking organization, is assisting police and customs in this case with the help of analytics firm Cellebrite. “It is rare for governments to fight corruption,” said Steven Galster, director of Freeland, “but poaching and wildlife trafficking on the scale we are seeing, particularly of rhinos, is not possible without the help of corrupt officials in positions of influence. We welcome the courageous and important step taken by the Thai customs authority, police, and public prosecutor’s office to investigate the possible corrupt links behind this plot. The public is urged to come forward with any information about these and other suspects.”

As Freeland is providing analytical support in this case, we ask anyone with information about this or similar incidents to contact the authorities or Freeland at [email protected]. Freeland also calls on the Thai authorities to expand and deepen their investigations until the syndicate responsible for the deaths of countless rhinos is dismantled. The animal welfare organization further hopes that, once all perpetrators have been identified, their ill-gotten gains will be confiscated and converted into a wildlife conservation fund that also rewards successful campaigners.

It is likely that the investigation will extend beyond national borders, as the horn of prey originates in Africa and the individuals under investigation frequently travel to transit and destination countries for the illegal wildlife trade.

About Freeland: Freeland is an organization actively working to combat human trafficking and strive for a world without wildlife trafficking and human slavery. Its team of law enforcement, development, and communications specialists collaborates with partners in Asia, Africa, and the Americas to protect the environment and vulnerable populations from organized crime and corruption. For more information, please visit www.freeland.org.