The AP is reporting that Thai authorities have arrested smugglers accused of illegally transporting a pickup truck full of deadly cobras. The snakes were worth a total of about $16,500.
The driver was arrested about 130 miles south of Bangkok, but was attempting to traffick a total of 600 snakes north of the border to Laos. The cobras — some of which died on the journey — are most likely from Malaysia, according to the BBC.
There is actually a quite sizeable underground market for illegal wildlife smuggling in Asia, and much of it comes from Thailand. This year, smugglers have been caught trying to traffick tigers and pangolins, according to Sky News. Back in May, authorities seized 4,300 cobras in Thailand.
Snakes are in higher demand in Laos, Vietnam and China; some use the snakes to create traditional medicines and human consumption (yup, some people eat cobras).
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