It’s getting otter in here, so take off all your clothes! Smuggler is strip searched and busted after ‘suspicious trouser bulge’ turns out to be furry mammals
As the Taiwanese smuggler stood in line for airport security, he had hoped staff wouldn't notice the huge bulge in his pants – and the fact that it kept moving.
But staff at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport quickly became suspicious of his enormous package and pulled the 22-year-old tourist aside.
The man, who has not been named, tried not to react as the bulge in his trousers continued to move as he stood in front of an X-ray scan. But his plan was quickly thwarted when the X-rays revealed what appeared to be a trio of furry animals.
Shocked staff then searched the smuggler and to their surprise they found two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog that he had stuffed into his designer boxer shorts after buying them at a market in Bangkok.
The protected wildlife was placed in three separate stockings that were taped to the man's pants before he left for the airport on Tuesday.
Phakkapong Phathong, head of the Suvarnabhumi Animal Quarantine, said the tourist was arrested at 9.05am and was scheduled to board Thai Airways flight TG632 to Taipei, Taiwan.
As the Taiwanese smuggler stood in line for airport security, he hoped staff wouldn't notice the huge bulge in his pants β and the fact that it kept moving
The protected wildlife had been placed in three separate stockings taped to the man's trousers before he went to the airport on Tuesday.
Shocked staff then searched the smuggler and to their surprise they found two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog that he had stuffed into his designer boxer shorts after buying them at a market in Bangkok.
Airport staff were shocked to find a prairie dog (pictured) in the man's pants
Customs spokesman Phanthong Loykulnant added: βThailand is not a gateway to smuggle exotic animals out of the country. We will catch anyone who tries to take animals on planes.β
The Taiwanese man is now charged with violating several sections of Thailand's Customs Law, the Animal Epidemic Law and the Animal Conservation and Protection Law.
He was held at Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station while the rescued animals were handed over to the Wildlife Conservation Office.
The Asian small-clawed otter is native to South and Southeast Asia and is the smallest otter species in the world. It is listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to North American grasslands. Two of the five species of prairie dogs are endangered.
Thailand is a major transit hub for the illegal wildlife trade, with smugglers often transporting live animals to nearby China.
Shocked staff then searched the smuggler and to their surprise they found two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog that he had stuffed into his designer boxer shorts after buying them at a market in Bangkok.
He was held at Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station while the rescued animals were handed over to the Wildlife Conservation Office.
As the Taiwanese smuggler stood in line for airport security, he hoped staff wouldn't notice the huge bulge in his pants β and the fact that it kept moving
The Taiwanese man is now charged with violating several sections of Thailand's Customs Law, the Animal Epidemic Law and the Animal Conservation and Protection Law.
The arrest comes just two months after a woman successfully smuggled an otter, rat and other animals through the same airport on October 4.
The creatures escaped into the air, causing screams from passengers aboard an Airbus A320 operated by Vietnamese airline Viet Jet flying from Bangkok to Taiwan.
Shockingly, a box containing 28 live turtles was also found when police searched the plane upon landing in Taipei after the cheap three-hour and 45-minute flight.
Bumbling airport chiefs later admitted that security staff noticed live animals in the passenger's carry-on luggage but waved through the bags on the conveyor belt.
They later suspended the employee involved and gave other employees strict guidelines on what to monitor for.