Birds seized by police during drug raids auctioned off

Yesterday, birds seized by police during drug busts were auctioned off at an event held at Rajamangala University of Technology’s campus in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The stars of the show were 6 South American blue-and-yellow macaws which sold for over 500,000 baht collectively.

The event marked the first ever official bird auction in Thailand. A total of 314 birds of various breeds – including parrots, chickens and geese – were sold at the auction. The event generated over 2 million baht in profit, which will be used by Thailand’s Drug Enforcement Administration to fund drug prevention and suppression projects.

The birds with the highest bids were 6 blue-and-yellow macaws, a type of South American parrot, seized from a drug dealer. The starting bid for a macaw was 40,000 baht and the highest bid was 208,000 baht. In total, the 6 parrots sold for 515,000 baht.

“Prayut Chan-o-cha is serious about cracking down on drugs and has made it a priority,” said Thailand’s Minister of Justice Somsak Thepstutin, who presided over the event.

The event was attended by police, officials from the Ministry of Justice, officials from the National Anti Corruption Commission (NACC) and local MPs.

In April last year, six pedigree cats confiscated by Thai police during drug raids found new homes via an auction in Rayong province. All six, including five Scottish Folds and one Bengal, were sold to one cat lover who bid 100,000 baht for the cats.

SOURCE: Sanook