Police in Udon Thani Province, Thailand apprehended two Thai men for attempting to smuggle 27 long-tailed crab-eating macaques to Laos.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and Highway Police Station in Nonghan District, Udon Thani arrested a 32-year-old man and a 21-year-old man who were stopped on their way to Laos on Tuesday and were found to be carrying 27 sedated monkeys in the boot of their sedan.
The two suspects purchased the endangered species of monkeys in central and southern regions of Thailand and were attempting to sell them to Laos where they would most likely end up as exotic meat in restaurants, says a report by Nation Thailand.
Police discovered the 27 sedated monkeys tied up in bags with nets to prevent them from escaping. At least one of them had reportedly suffocated to death.
The two men were taken to the Nong Han Police Station for possessing protected animals with the intention to sell them.
The 26 rescued monkeys were transported to the Khon Kaen wildlife sanctuary for rehabilitation before releasing them into the wild.
In March and April this year, the Thai police made similar arrests, detaining individuals who were attempting to smuggle 47 and 44 macaques respectively to sell in the neighboring countries.
