Officials say 6 rare pedigree cats seized in a drug raid in the eastern province of Rayong, will be auctioned off next week.
A number of animal welfare organisations have been campaigning for the auction to be called off and have offered to look after the animals.
However, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board says they are unable to hand the cats over as they are not the property of the ONCB.
5 Scottish Fold cats and 1 Bengal cat, have been purchased using drug money and were discovered at the property of a suspected man belonging to a drug network.
Wichai Chaimongkol from the ONCB says the animals were seized under the law which gives officials the right to confiscate assets.
He says some of the assets seized in the raid cannot be kept by the ONCB long-term, which would include the cats.
The ONCB has been in touch with the cat owner’s relatives and has told them if they can prove the animals were not purchased with the proceeds of crime, they can claim them.
However, none has come to claim the cats.
Wichai says the cats will be valued and a price agreed before the auction is arranged.
Source: The Thaiger
