NOT THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE DRAWER: Put A Tiger In Your Trunk
Piyawan Palasarn, 31, was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport when a drugged tiger cub was found hidden amongst plush toy tigers in her luggage, The Associated Press reports:
The woman, a Thai national, had checked in for her flight [to Iran] and her oversized bag was sent for an X-ray which showed what appeared to be a live animal inside, according to TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring group.
The woman was arrested at before boarding her Sunday flight. The cub, estimated to be about 3 months old, was sent to a wildlife conservation center in Bangkok. …
She denied the luggage with the cub belonged to her and said another passenger had asked her to carry it for them, said Adisorn Noochdumrong, head of an international wildlife division at the conservation center.
The cub could have fetched about $3,200 on the black market in Iran, where it is popular to have exotic pets, Mr. Adisorn said. He said he did not know what the woman purportedly intended to do with this particular cub.
Palasarn faces up to four years in prison and a $1,300 fine on wildlife smuggling-related charges.
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