PhotoBlog - indian-roofed-turtle

Jun

2011

6:16am, EDT

451 turtles rescued after being smuggled on plane

Rungroj Yongrit / EPA

A customs official holds a confiscated Indian Roofed Turtle during a press conference at the Customs Department in Bangkok, Thailand on June 2.

msnbc.com news services report:

Thai customs officials found 451 turtles and seven freshwater crocodiles stashed in suitcases offloaded from a passenger flight from Bangladesh.

The animals seized at Bangkok's bustling Suvarnabhumi airport were worth 1 million baht ($33,000), authorities said.

The alleged trafficker, a Bangladeshi national, did not collect the luggage and fled on arrival in Bangkok, customs officials said.

Authorities in Bangkok seized more than 400 turtles which were stuffed into four suitcases. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.