DSI wildlife efforts bag big game
Kingpin of trafficking gang ‘Hydra’ brought down by team effort, writes Apinya Wipatayotin
The arrest of wildlife trafficking kingpin Boonchai Bach in Nakhon Phanom last Friday received international media attention. Mr Boonchai was a member of a notorious Southeast Asian trafficking syndicate known as “Hydra”, which was a major trader of illegal ivory, pangolin, tiger, prayoon wood, and tiger and rhino horns.
The investigation took almost a decade to complete and has been hailed as a landmark case for wildlife trafficking investigation in Thailand, made possible by a collaboration between the Thai authorities and non-governmental organisations.
One of the key personnel in the investigation that led to the arrest of the kingpin was a 66-year-old retired policeman from the Department of Special Investigations (DSI), who carried out much of his work undercover.
Going by the nickname of “Poon”, he has now worked with Freeland, an international non-profit group monitoring wildlife trafficking, for six years since he retired.
Previously, Poon said he had been with the Royal Thai Police (RTP) for 20 years before moving to the DSI to handle transnational crime cases.
During his tenure, he dealt with drug smuggling, human trafficking and the illegal movement of various other illicit goods, he told the Bangkok Post in an interview.
However, Poon developed a passion for investigating wildlife trafficking as he felt these crimes often went under the radar and received too little attention from local law enforcement agencies.
“Authorities, especially in Thailand, pay a great deal of attention to drugs and human trafficking despite the fact the money earned from illegal wildlife trafficking is second only to that earned from drugs, arms and human trafficking.
It’s a shame that our law enforcement does not pay it enough attention. Perhaps, people cannot see the pain and trauma involved because animals cannot speak for themselves,” Poon said.
Poon was part of the Thai team that in 2011 helped South Africa during the investigation of Chumlong Lemthongtai, a Thai businessman in South Africa, and one of the most ruthless and prolific wildlife criminals. The case was touted as the first big wildlife trafficking success for the DSI.
In that case, tax authorities in South Africa were suspicious about how Mr Chumlong had acquired his considerable wealth, which lead to an investigation finding he was involved in the illegal trade of rhino horns. Mr Chumlong was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the crime.
The i nvestigation into Chumlong brought Hydra into the picture, especially Mr Boonchai and Nikorn Wongprajan, local Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives officials who worked in the customs department of a local airport.
The police found Mr Chumlong traded with the Xaysavang Trading Company, an import-export company based in Lao. Mr Chumlong’s secretary also provided name of Mr Nikorn. “We have suspected and tracked Mr Nikorn for years. We needed to wait and see but we could not catch him until we had enough confidence in our evidence.”
Poon said Hydra is the nickname given to the syndicate by the team at Freeland.
“A hydra is not a strong animal, just a single cell amoeba that can be destroyed easily. So we chose the name to give us confidence that we could bring them down,” said Poon.
Poon has introduced sophisticated investigation methods into the wildlife crime arena, including a program that narcotics officers use to trace mobile phones and financial transactions to locate potential suspects. DNA testing has also been used on shipments of confiscated goods.
“In the past, arrests were made by catching poachers in the act after they had killed animals or moved trees out the forest. But you would only catch low-ranking henchman, never a mastermind.”
In 2014, Poon was the part of the investigation team working in Nakhon Ratchasima province that captured Kampanart Chaiyamat, a Thai with relatives in Vietnam and a relative of Mr Boonchai Bach. Kampanart was caught stealing payong tree timber.
The Chaiyamat family has become well known for its links to wildlife trading. The family ran a tiger farm in Chaiyaphum province which was closed in 2012 after a Freeland probe.
As part of their investigation authorities also discovered that Mr Boonchai had, between 2010-2011, transferred around 70 million baht from his wife’s bank account to the Chaiyamat family. “We have been keeping an eye on this group for years — their social media, their Line and their phones until we had enough evidence,” said Poon.
Thai customs in December 2017 ran a routine X-ray inspection of cargo on a flight from Ethiopia, which originated from South Africa, and found rhino horns in luggage belonging to the family.
Police followed the traveller to a government office at Suvarnabhumi airport and arrested an officer there, Nikorn Wongprajan — one of Hydra’s most valuable assets.
During the investigation into Mr Nikorn, the team found phone records and fresh evidence that led to Mr Boonchai. Acting on the evidence, police issued an arrest warrant for Mr Boonchai, a construction contractor, who was captured in Nakorn Panom on Jan 19.
“It was worth pursuing this organisation for over a decade in order to finally put this kingpin behind bars,” said Poon.
Now the team has its eyes on even bigger fish: Vixay Keosavang, the owner of Xaysavang Trading Company, who is also believed to be Southeast Asia’s most significant wildlife dealer. The US State Department has offered a US$1 million reward for information leading to the dismantlement of the network.
It’s a shame that our law enforcement does not pay it [wildlife trafficking] enough attention.
UNDERCOVER AGENT ‘POON’