By Tim Binnall
Authorities in Thailand put a stop to a sizeable smuggling operation wherein two ne'-er-do-wells allegedly attempted to exit the country with a staggering 81 monkeys in tow. The bizarre bust reportedly occurred on Friday when police near the Cambodian border grew suspicious of a pickup truck with a bevy of blue bags in its bed. Upon stopping the vehicle, cops discovered that the mesh bundles contained a jaw-dropping 81 macaque monkeys that the duo later admitted they planned to illegally deliver to the neighboring country.
Making matters all the worse for two suspected smugglers, police also found an unspecified amount of crystal meth and methamphetamine pills in the macaque-laden truck. As on might imagine, the pair were promptly arrested and face both animal trafficking and narcotics charges for the ill-advised operation. As for the recovered monkeys that managed to escape a worrisome uncertain fate, the macaques were sent to a wildlife refuge where they will hopefully live out the rest of their days without fear of being stuffed in a mesh bag again.