After stopping two suspicious vehicles – a coach and a car - for inspection on November 7, a team from the local environmental police office discovered 33 frozen masked palm civets weighing 99.5kg; two frozen stump-tailed macaque 18kg; and two frozen barking deers 25.5kg.
Nine Asiatic brush-tailed porcupines and one masked palm civet were found alive from the two vehicles.
Three suspects – Dao Van Chau, 29, Nguyen Xuan Men, 38, both residing in Dien Bien district and Lo Van Truong, 22, a resident in Dien Bien Dong district – were arrested.
They admitted being hired to transport the animals from Muong Nhe district to Dien Bien Phu city for consumption.
The animals were handed over to Dien Bien forest rangers for further investigation.
