Thai customs seizes ivory, wildlife remains worth over Bt155 million

Thai customs officers have seized ivory and wildlife remains worth more than 155 million baht after discovering them concealed inside more than 560 pieces of processed timber imported from Zambia through Laem Chabang Port in Chon Buri province.

Thai customs officers have seized ivory and wildlife remains worth more than 155 million baht after discovering them concealed inside more than 560 pieces of processed timber imported from Zambia through Laem Chabang Port in Chon Buri province.

The contraband was found inside two shipping containers, with cavities drilled into the timber to conceal the illegal items. The cavities were then sealed with paraffin, making the hidden materials difficult to detect during X-ray inspections.

The Customs Department said on Monday that officials initially detected irregularities while randomly inspecting 32 pieces of timber, each measuring approximately two metres long and 50 centimetres wide. Further inspections led to the discovery of the concealed ivory and wildlife remains.

Phantong Loykulnanta, director-general of the Customs Department, said the containers and seized items had been detained since September. He said the concealment method made inspections particularly challenging because the paraffin coating used by the smugglers gave the hidden materials a density similar to that of the surrounding timber.

Intelligence information helped officials identify the suspicious shipment and uncover the attempted smuggling operation. The seizure was among the largest ivory-smuggling cases detected in the past year, he added.

Authorities will send samples to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for DNA testing to establish the origin of the ivory.

Department of Special Investigation (DSI) director-general Piya Raksakul said ivory-smuggling methods were becoming increasingly sophisticated, with smugglers adapting their concealment techniques to make illegal goods resemble the materials used to hide them.

He said the case appeared to involve transnational criminal activity, with complex operations and multiple individuals potentially involved. Its characteristics were consistent with those of an organised crime network, prompting the DSI to take it on as a special investigation.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation will be responsible for safeguarding the seized items in a secure storage facility equipped with dedicated evidence lockers and CCTV cameras throughout the legal proceedings.

Officials said the department would formally assess the quantity and value of the seized ivory and wildlife remains.