A Thai Custom Department officer shows a crocodile's skin to reporters in Bangkok Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006. These crocodiles were seized on Tuesday near Thai-Cambodia border when they were being smuggled into Thailand. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A Thai Custom Department officer holds a net to show reporters some of 200 crocodiles on the truck in Bangkok Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006. These crocodiles were seized on Tuesday near Thai-Cambodia border when they were being smuggled into Thailand. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)Thailand seizes Cambodian crocs
(dpa) - The Thai Customs Department on Wednesday seized about 200 endangered crocodiles smuggled in from Cambodia, the department's director said.
The reptiles were seized on a tip in Sri Ratcha, a port city on the Gulf of Thailand about 80 kilometres south-east of Bangkok.
"They were being smuggled for export," Customs Department Director General Sathit Limpongphan said.
Sathit said Thai customs have focused more on wild trade this year and have seized other endangered species but this was the first time officers had seized crocodiles from a neighbouring country.
Few crocodiles remain in the wild in Cambodia, and the ones the Customs Department seized were most likely from a crocodile farm. Each was about 1.5 metres long, and they were transported from Cambodia across Thailand in a large truck, Sathit said.
The crocodiles, worth about 600,000 baht (16 thousand US dollars) are to be transferred to the Royal Forestry Department, which was likely to give them to a crocodile farm in Thailand.
Officials were questioning one man Wednesday, Sathit said, and anyone found guilty of smuggling the crocodiles could face 10 years in jail and a 2.4-million-baht (65,000-dollar) fine.
The reptiles were seized on a tip in Sri Ratcha, a port city on the Gulf of Thailand about 80 kilometres south-east of Bangkok.
"They were being smuggled for export," Customs Department Director General Sathit Limpongphan said.
Sathit said Thai customs have focused more on wild trade this year and have seized other endangered species but this was the first time officers had seized crocodiles from a neighbouring country.
Few crocodiles remain in the wild in Cambodia, and the ones the Customs Department seized were most likely from a crocodile farm. Each was about 1.5 metres long, and they were transported from Cambodia across Thailand in a large truck, Sathit said.
The crocodiles, worth about 600,000 baht (16 thousand US dollars) are to be transferred to the Royal Forestry Department, which was likely to give them to a crocodile farm in Thailand.
Officials were questioning one man Wednesday, Sathit said, and anyone found guilty of smuggling the crocodiles could face 10 years in jail and a 2.4-million-baht (65,000-dollar) fine.
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