Rare cats to be auctioned

Six cats, acquired using drug money, will be auctioned off by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) next month.

The cats, from rare foreign breeds, were found at the house of a suspect belonging to a drug network controlled by an individual known as "Kook Rayong" on March 15, ONCB secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkol said.

The cats were impounded under the law on measures to suppress drug offenders and repossess assets acquired from the illegal drug trade.

The office said some of the seized assets were unfit for storage over a long period of time.

Keeping such assets, including the live pets and livestock, would also incur a financial burden for the ONCB, according to Mr Wichai. He said the office has been paying for cat food since the felines were seized.

The ONCB chief said the office contacted relatives of the drug suspect who owned the cats and called on them to prove the animals were not bought with drug money and claim them back if this proved to be the case.

However, none of the relatives or anyone else connected to the suspect has stepped forward to claim the cats.

Mr Wichai said the office will assess the value of the cats and set a price before arranging an auction. He expected the auction to take place before April 14.

The ONCB is in no position to hand the cats to another state agency because it does not own them, he said.