Arrested: airline passenger with a ‘virtual zoo’ in his luggage

May 2011: A man carrying a ‘virtual zoo' in his suitcases - including leopards, panthers, an Asiatic bear and two macaque monkeys - has been arrested at Bangkok airport as he was about to board a plane to Dubai.

SEDATED: The young cubs, including this Asian bear, had been heavily drugged

The Thai Police arrested the 36-year-old, a UAE national, as he was preparing to fly first-class from Bangkok to Dubai, smuggling out the various rare and endangered animals in his luggage. Undercover officers from the Thai Nature Crime Police had been monitoring the suspect from his illegal purchase to the moment he stepped into Bangkok's Suvarnabuhmi Airport.

All of the animals - many of them young cubs - were still alive. The passenger was observed receiving several suitcases packed with live animals from another suspect when he reached the airport.

‘The perfect undercover operation'
‘The trafficker was stunned - it was a perfect undercover operation by the Thai Police Task Force,' said Steven Galster, director of FREELAND Foundation whose staff were present for the bust. Various divisions within the police collaborated, including Immigration Police.

IN A SUITCASE: One of the leopard cubs seized by Thai police

Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and are now searching for suspected accomplices.

‘This is the first time we've seen anything like this - it was an extremely sophisticated operation,' said Galster. ‘The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases.

Sedated animals held in flat cages
‘It looked as if the smugglers had sedated the animals. They were packed into flat cages so they couldn't move around,' he added. Some of the animals were placed inside canisters with air holes. They are now receiving veterinary care.

Although the final planned destination of the animals is not known, it is thought it was probably to service the UAE's burgeoning exotic pet trade.

The police officers involved in the sting are featured with FREELAND's investigation support team in a new National Geographic TV series that has been airing across Asia. The four-part series, Crimes Against Nature, follows the undercover exploits of the task force as they go after organized crime rings trafficking in rare and endangered animals.