Man Tries to Smuggle 16 Tiger Cubs in Pickup Truck - East Idaho News
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Man Tries to Smuggle 16 Tiger Cubs in Pickup Truck

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Getty 102912 TigerCub?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1351534462149iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BANGKOK) — A driver was arrested after he allegedly attempted to smuggle 16 tiger cubs from Bangkok, Thailand, to the country’s border with Laos.

After being stopped for trying to avoid a road checkpoint, the 52-year-old man reportedly told police that he’d been paid 300 pounds to take the animals to a northeastern province. He said he did not know the tigers’ owners, according to the BBC.

The cats, which ranged from 6 weeks old to 2 months, were reportedly kept in cages in the back of his pickup truck.

The driver faces wildlife-smuggling charges and could be sentenced to four years in jail and receive an 800-pound fine. The animals are now with wildlife officials.

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