When no one came forward when called to claim the boxes, they were opened and found to contain 2,935 Vanda orchids, 1,450 Dendrobium orchids and 300 Grammatophyllum orchids. Nimit said a permit is needed to export cultivated orchids and the international CITES treaty covering endangered specials bans the export of wild orchids. He said it wasn’t yet known whether these specimens were wild or cultivated. If wild, they will be transferred to the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department. Customs also found 31 longan saplings, which the Agriculture Ministry bars from export for fear of hurting the country’s fruit industry.

Source: The Nation Bangkok May 30, 2018 05:15 UTC