Pickup full of deadly cobras seized - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

Pickup full of deadly cobras seized

Posted:
By Robyn Turner - email

BANGKOK (WKOW) -- Authorities in Thailand have seized a pickup truck full of deadly cobras at a checkpoint in the country's central region. 

It's believed the snakes came from Malaysia and were destined for a third country for use in traditional medicine or human consumption.

Thai Customs Chief Benja Louicharoen said officials found 600 cobras in mesh bags inside plastic baskets. They say the snakes are worth about $16,500 U.S. dollars.

Officials arrested the Thai driver after the suspicious vehicle was stopped 130 miles south of Bangkok. The man confessed, saying he was delivering the snakes to northeast Thailand where they were to be smuggled over the border into Laos.

Thailand is a major transit country for illegal wildlife trafficking in Asia.

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