Taiwanese woman arrested at Bangkok airport with 30 Indian Star Tortoises strapped to her body

A 19-year-old Taiwanese woman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport in the early hours of 28 April 2026 after wildlife and customs officers discovered 30 Indian Star Tortoises concealed on her body ahead of a flight to Taipei.

The passenger, who has not been named, was intercepted at 5.25am at the screening zone in the departure terminal's fifth floor. She was due to board VietJet Air flight VZ568 bound for Taipei, Taiwan.

Komkrit Pinsai, chief of the Wildlife Inspection Station at Suvarnabhumi Airport, said officers noticed suspicious movements around the woman's torso during screening at Zone 3 East of the departure terminal. A detailed physical search followed.

Officers found the tortoises had been wrapped with adhesive tape to restrict movement, placed individually into cloth bags, and strapped across the woman's body. The concealment method appeared designed to minimise the animals' movement and evade X-ray detection equipment.

Of the 30 Indian Star Tortoises recovered, 29 were alive. One was found dead.

The Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and commands significant value on the black market. Authorities said the species is among the most frequently trafficked reptiles in Asia.

Sadudee Phanthaphakdi, Director of the CITES Wildlife and Plant Protection Division under Thailand's National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, said the arrest was the direct result of heightened surveillance measures implemented across all wildlife inspection checkpoints nationwide.

The operation was carried out jointly by wildlife inspection officers, customs officials, the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Police Division, and the Airports of Thailand security unit.

Sadudee attributed the intensified enforcement posture to directives issued by Suchat Chomklin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, and Attapol Charoenchansa, Director-General of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, who had ordered all CITES checkpoint stations to raise alert levels to their highest standard.

The arrested woman was transferred to investigators at Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station for formal processing.

She faces charges under three separate Thai statutes. Under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act B.E. 2562, she is charged under Sections 19 and 23 for exporting protected wildlife without authorisation. Under the Customs Act B.E. 2560, she faces charges under Sections 242 and 252 for attempting to take restricted goods out of the kingdom in circumvention of legal controls. She also fac es a charge under the Animal Epidemic Act B.E. 2558 for transporting animals without the required permit.

The 29 surviving tortoises were handed to the Wildlife Conservation Office for emergency care. Officials said the animals would also serve as physical evidence in species identification and in efforts to trace and dismantle the wider trafficking network believed to be behind the smuggling attempt.

Thai wildlife authorities have in recent years recorded a rise in body-strapping cases at international airports, particularly involving reptiles destined for private collectors in East Asia. The Indian Star Tortoise, native to India, Sri Lanka, and parts of Pakistan, has seen sustained illegal demand due to its distinctive shell patterning.

No information has been released regarding the source of the tortoises or whether the woman is believed to be acting on behalf of a larger organisation. Investigations are ongoing.