A 36-year-old Vietnamese man has been arrested in Thailand for allegedly attempting to smuggle rhinoceros horns through Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

According to Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the suspect was detained on Monday after airport authorities detected irregular images during an X-ray scan of his checked luggage. A subsequent search uncovered six pieces of rhinoceros horn concealed inside a polystyrene icebox, along with approximately 12 kilograms of unidentified meat used to hide the horns.

The department said the man had travelled from Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was en route to Laos, transiting through Ethiopia and Thailand. Officials noted that Thailand was not the final destination of the shipment.

Sadudee Panpakdee, director of the department’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) division, said authorities had not yet determined the market value of the seized horns or confirmed the type of meat used for concealment, according to AFP. She added that the confiscated items had been sent to a wildlife forensic laboratory for further examination.

If convicted, the suspect faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to one million baht (about US$32,000), according to Thai authorities and AFP.

All five species of rhinoceros are protected under international law, and the trade in rhino horns is banned worldwide due to the threat of extinction caused by poaching. Despite the ban, rhino horns continue to be trafficked illegally to supply black markets in Asia.

Thailand has repeatedly been identified as a major transit hub for international wildlife trafficking networks moving illegal animal products between Africa and Asian markets, according to conservation agencies and law enforcement reports.