A public prosecutor in Saraburi province has been ordered to be transferred to an inactive post at the Office of the Attorney-General pending an investigation after he was implicated in the smuggling of about 179 million baht worth of African rhino horns into Thailand.

The rhino horns were intercepted at Suvanrabhumi international airport on March 10. Arrest warrants have been issued for two females suspected to be involved in the smuggling and initial investigation implicated Pol Maj Worapas Boonsri, Saraburi deputy provincial prosecutor.

A report from the OAG said that two police officers, one of them was later identified as Pol Maj Worapas, were seen escorting a luggage as it was carted by two women to go through immigration and customs checks.

The two men later escaped and the luggage was found to contain 23 rhino horns weigh about 49.9 kgs.

The report said the attorney-general, Pol Sub-Lt Pongniwat Yutthapanborikarn had attached great importance to the case as it involved a lot of rhino horns and that the case had attracted a lot of public interest.

Also as one of the suspects is a public prosecutor, the case has dealt a serious blow to the reputation and image of the OAG and a probe was immediately ordered to find out Worapas’s alleged connection with the illegal trade in rhino horns.

The probe team, according to the report, decided on Wednesday to transfer Worapas from Saraburi to the OAG in Bangkok effective as of April 3 pending the investigation.

Saraburi prosecutor transferred for suspected involvement in rhino horns smuggling - Thai PBS English News