Passenger caught with a python, monitor lizards and meerkats in suitcase

A passenger was caught allegedly trying to smuggle a live python, monitor lizards and meerkats out of Thailand in his suitcase.

Omani national Said Abdulla Omar Al Makhladi, 26, allegedly packed 22 live wild animals into his black Victorinox suitcase before placing them inside his checked luggage.

He then checked in for Oman Air flight WY818 from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Muscat, Oman, on September 8.

The animals were allegedly stuffed in fabric carriers as he prepared to leave the country.

But customs and wildlife officers intercepted him at around 8:40 am local time after finding suspicious shapes in his baggage.

They allegedly found two Bengal monitor lizards, one ball python, five bearded dragons, eight leopard geckos, two meerkats and four sugar gliders, worth more than 60,000 baht in total.

The hapless wildlife were trapped in seven small carriers with colourful cartoon prints.

Authorities said the suspect was charged with allegedly attempting to export controlled wildlife without permission under Thailand's Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act.

He also faces alleged offences under the Customs Act and Animal Epidemics Act.

Santhanee Pairattanakorn, director of the Suvarnabhumi Passenger Control Customs Office, said the arrest reflects the ongoing trend of illegal wildlife trafficking out of the country.

She said: 'The Customs Department, through the Suvarnabhumi Airport Passenger Control Customs Office, is continuing to intensify surveillance and inspections of high-risk passengers to intercept wildlife smuggling and prevent the illegal smuggling of wildlife from Thailand.'

Thailand is a major transit hub for animal trafficking. With its porous borders with Myanmar and Cambodia, the country is a key route for smuggled wildlife across Southeast Asia.