Thai authorities have arrested a 19-year-old Taiwanese woman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport after discovering 30 protected tortoises strapped to her body in an alleged wildlife smuggling attempt.

Officials from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said airport officers became suspicious when they noticed the passenger moving awkwardly as she prepared to board a flight to Taipei. A subsequent search at the departure terminal revealed multiple cloth bags taped beneath her clothing.

Inside the bags were Indian star tortoises, a species prized on the illegal pet market for its distinctive radiating shell pattern. Of the 30 animals found, 29 were alive and one was dead. Authorities said the suspect had used adhesive tape to immobilise the reptiles before packing them into the bags and fastening them to her torso and legs in an effort to evade screening.

The tortoises are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, and Thai customs officials estimated their total black-market value at around $9,000. The woman has been charged with illegally transporting protected wildlife and attempting to evade customs controls.

Investigators are now examining whether she was acting as a courier for a larger trafficking network. Thailand has long been identified by conservation groups and law-enforcement agencies as a key transit hub for the smuggling of exotic animals and their parts, with shipments often routed to markets elsewhere in Asia.

Indian star tortoises are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Conservationists warn that relentless poaching to supply demand for “exotic pets” is pushing wild populations toward further decline, alongside habitat loss and other pressures.

The surviving tortoises have been handed over to wildlife conservation officials for veterinary assessment and care, and will be retained as evidence in the criminal case. Authorities say the incident underscores both the cruelty of wildlife trafficking methods and the continuing challenge of policing airports against increasingly inventive smuggling techniques.