Thai Officers Seize 130 Kilograms of Ivory at Mekong River Bound for Laos

This Week

On 16 May, Thai authorities seized over 150 kilograms of ivory and animal remains along the Mekong River in Nong Khai, stopping a cross-border smuggling attempt into Laos’ capital Vientiane.

According to Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, officers found abandoned sacks on the riverside containing 22 pieces of cut ivory weighing 130.9 kilograms and unidentified animal skeletal remains weighing 29 kilograms, all packed and ready for a boat crossing into Laos. 

The police couldn’t identify the suspects. 

The raid was linked to the arrest of a 50-year-old Lao woman on the same day in Loei Province. The evidence, one live monitor lizard alongside two bags each of chopped monitor lizard and suspected wild boar meat, indicates both operations share a single cross-border trafficking network.

Thai authorities promptly shared details of both incidents with Lao counterparts through a joint emergency wildlife communication channel, pushing for both sides to go after the people funding the operation.

The Nong Khai raid is part of a wider problem along the Mekong, according to Thailand’s wildlife conservation authority. Earlier in January 2026, officers in Bueng Kan Province stopped a long-tail boat coming from Laos and found 55 ivory tusks weighing 169 kilograms in plastic bags left on the riverbank. Two local men, aged 18 and 21, were arrested after being paid THB 200 (around USD 5.70) per bag to carry the goods ashore. 

Both now face charges of possessing protected wildlife products and smuggling.

Under Thai law, anyone caught handling ivory without a permit faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to THB 1 million (around USD 30,600), or both.

Latest article