Dozens of cattle smuggled from Myanmar seized

A BORDER Patrol Police unit seized a herd of 84 cattle smuggled to Prachuab Khiri Khan province from Myanmar but three men driving them across the border managed to escape in the dark, Matichon newspaper said today (Jan. 7),

Pol. Lt. Col. Tawee Phanoi, commander of company 146 manning Singkhon checkpoint, took a team to a natural channel at Bua Sawan Waterfall and laid in wait for the cattle smugglers.

This followed an investigation that showed cattle are being smuggled across from the neighbouring country and sold to businessmen in the south.

The team was alerted by a surveillance camera that showed three men of unknown nationality herding the cattle down the natural channel with some already put in a stall. When the team moved in to arrest the three smugglers, they ran away. Although they were chased, they were able to get away because it was dark and they knew the area well.

The seized cattle are small and very skinny with 82 being male and two female. They were taken to Prachuap Khiri Khan Animal Quarantine Station in Huai Yang subdistrict, Thap Sakae district.

This case fall under Section 27 of the Customs Act, 1924, on the charges of “jointly smuggling or bringing animals into the country without passing through the customs formalities.” Additional charges fall under Section 31 of the Animal Epidemic Act, 2015, for “jointly importing, exporting or bringing animals or carcasses to the country without permission.”

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The dozens of cattle seized from smugglers. Photos: Matichon