Thai police arrest man for selling protected langurs on Facebook

Thai authorities apprehended a 31 year old man in Narathiwat for illegal wildlife trade involving two protected langurs.

Basam Saleh, who was caught following an online sting operation, confessed to purchasing the animals from a local and attempting to sell them through a Facebook group.

In a significant crackdown on wildlife trafficking, Thai police successfully nabbed Saleh for the possession and intended sale of protected wildlife. The man was arrested in the Mueang Narathiwat district, with two young dusky langurs, a species listed under Thailand’s protected wildlife, in his custody. The arrest was the culmination of a meticulous online investigation, tracing the illicit trade of endangered species on social media platforms.

The police operation, led by Deputy Chief of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, Arun Wachirasrisukanya, and his team, in coordination with the Conservation Area Management Office No. 6 in Pattani, began with the surveillance of suspicious activity on Facebook.

The suspect had advertised the sale of two dusky langurs for 12,800 baht in a Facebook group dedicated to langur enthusiasts.

Undercover officers made contact with Saleh, posing as interested buyers, and arranged a meeting on the Ra-ngae-Markaz road in the Marang Tai Yor subdistrict. Upon arrival, Saleh was found waiting with the caged langurs.

The police promptly identified themselves and detained Saleh, who subsequently admitted to owning the wildlife featured on his Facebook page. He disclosed that he had bought the langurs from villagers who had captured them in the forest and acknowledged that he lacked the necessary permits for both possession and sale of protected animals, reported KhaoSod.

Following his confession, Saleh was taken to the Mueang Narathiwat police station. He faces charges of violating wildlife protection laws and for the illegal trade of protected species.

In related news, a Thai man was apprehended in the Na Yong district of Trang on February 21 for allegedly peddling macaques on Facebook.