Thai police bust illegal piranha trafficking operation in Bangkok

Police arrested a man in Bangkok yesterday for illegally smuggling and selling piranha fish, following a joint investigation by Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Department of Fisheries.

An investigation into illegal aquatic operations in Thailand revealed that 21 year old Abhisit Wisetsee had been illegally selling piranhas via the Internet for over a year. Each piranha sold for thousands if not tens of thousands of baht, said police.

The investigative team gathered evidence and obtained a warrant from the court to search Abhisit’s residence in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok yesterday.

Upon searching the property, police found a total of six piranhas which were 6 – 7 centimetres long each. The fish were confiscated and Abhisit was arrested under suspicion of “illegal possession of an aquatic animal that may cause harm to the human body or other aquatic animals,” violating Section 53 and Section 67 of Thailand’s Fisheries Act (1947).

Importing or possessing live piranhas is illegal in Thailand and is punishable by imprisonment of up to six years, a fine of no more than 120,000 baht, or both.

Officials explained that piranhas, which are not native to Thailand, could severely damage Thailand’s ecosystem.

Despite piranhas having a reputation as aggressive man eaters (see the movie Piranha 3D), the South American fish pose much more danger to native fish than to humans. Piranhas may occasionally attack humans, usually resulting in minor injuries, but sometimes resulting in death.

However, piranhas entering Thailand’s natural waterways could be catastrophic for native fish species. Piranhas have sharp teeth and a strong bite which allows them to quickly devour the flesh of other fish or aquatic animals.

Although six piranhas might not seem like a lot, the investigators explained that since Thailand is a tropical climate, the fish would breed quickly if released into the wild.

SOURCE: MGR