Man arrested at airport for smuggling snakes in underwear
published : 4 Jul 2025 at 13:47
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Sutthiwit Chayutworakan
A Sri Lankan man was arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport for attempting to smuggle wildlife out of the country after three ball pythons were found hidden in his underwear.
The Wildlife Crime Intelligence Centre said officials received intelligence on Tuesday that a Sri Lankan suspect, identified only as Sheehan, arrived in Bangkok on a Thai Airways flight at 12.06am.
Background checks showed that Mr Seehan had a record of trafficking various wildlife species. He had previously been arrested on wildlife charges in Colombo in 2024, the centre said.
The centre monitored the movements of the suspected wildlife smuggler.
On Wednesday, Mr Sheehan left his accommodation in a taxi at about 6pm and arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport at about 7pm. After he checked in, officials invited him for further inspection using AoT’s X-ray equipment. No illegal items were found.
Officials then asked for a body search that found three ball pythons hidden in his underwear.
The suspect was taken into custody. Authorities were expanding the investigation.
Vocabulary
- background: information about some person or subject that helps you better understand them and understand current events - ประวัติ
- inspection: an official process of checking that things are in the correct condition or that people are doing what they should - การตรวจสอบตรวจตรา
- intelligence: information collected about the secret plans of an enemy, criminal organisations, competitors, etc. - ข่าวกรอง ข้อมูลลับ
- python: a very large snake that kills animals for food by wrapping itself around them and crushing them - งูเหลือม, งูหลาม, งูขนาดใหญ่
- smuggler: a person who takes things or people to or from a place secretly and often illegally - ผู้ลักลอบขนสินค้าหรือคนหรือสัตว์เข้าและออกจากประเทศอย่างผิด
- trafficking: dealing in illegal goods, like drugs, weapons or in illegally moving humans or animals from one place to another - การค้าสิ่งที่ผิดกฎหมาย
- underwear: clothes that you wear under other clothes and next to the skin - ชุดชั้นใน
