BANGKOK: Police in Thailand arrested two men on Wednesday morning after they were caught smuggling more than 300 kilograms of dog meat in the back of a pick-up truck.

Officers discovered 16 dog carcasses alongside dozens of plastic bags stuffed with meat at a checkpoint in northeastern Sakon Nakhon province.

“Both men confessed to trading dogs in exchange for everyday consumer products,” local police official Lieutenant Colonel Pongphet Juljamroensap said.

The Soi Dog Foundation, which campaigns against the dog trade, said their undercover volunteers had tipped police off about the vehicle which was headed to Tha Rae, a town renowned for its underground canine industry.

“Cornered by the police car, the truck had no choice but to stop,” the charity wrote on Facebook, estimating that the vehicle was stuffed with the remains of around 100 dogs.

Pictures posted by the group showed dozens of whole dog carcasses in the back of a dark truck packed in alongside clear plastic bags stuffed with chunks of meat.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play