Two women have been caught at an airport after attempting to smuggle more than 4,000 turtles through customs.
The two women, who have not been named, hid live pig-nosed turtles in seven large suitcases.
They were hoping to cross between Malaysia and Vietnam without being detected however things didn’t go as planned.
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The Airport Aviation Safety Authority, the Wildlife Conservation and the National Park Service were able to catch them.
Authorities received intelligence about two passengers who were travelling to board a flight heading for Hanoi, Vietnam.
Upon investigating the luggage which the two women were carrying, staff found the reptiles stored in small plastic containers.
The two women, from China, failed to provide valid export permits.
Both women had attempted to smuggle approximately 4,386 pig-nosed turtles out of Malaysia, as reported by Need To Know.
The animals, which were valued at £31.3 million, were retrieved and the women were arrested.
Pig-nosed turtles are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation (IUCN) Red List.
The species is generally sold on the black market as a pet, exotic food, and for medicinal purposes.
Dato Abdul Kadir, the director of the Wildlife Conservation and National Park Service of the Malaysia Peninsula, has stated that the women were aged 43, and 34.
He revealed that four officials of the bureau and six airport aviation security officers were involved in the operation.
Arrests were made at Terminal 2 in Kuala Lumpur International Airport at around 12.20 pm on 18 February.
The case is currently being investigated.
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