A Russian man who stole more than 50 coral stones was arrested in Phuket

Police in Phuket detained a Russian man found guilty of stealing more than 50 pieces of coral rock from the sea. The arrest occurred yesterday following a collaborative effort between the local police and tourist police.

Officers tracked down 46 year old Alexsandr Krasilov outside the Siberyak restaurant in Rawai. Krasilov was apprehended for illegally removing coral rocks from the sea, which he appeared to be using for decorative purposes outside the restaurant.

It remains unclear whether Krasilov owned or operated the restaurant or the exact dates and locations from which he took the coral. Krasilov was subsequently taken to Chalong police station and charged with violating Section 7 of the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act 2019. This act prohibits the possession of protected wildlife items.

The police team responsible for the arrest included Lieutenant Colonel Channarong Rodthongdee from the SWAT TAT 3rd Battalion Investigation Division, along with expert fisheries officer Nares Chuphung, reported The Phuket News.

Officials from the Phuket Marine Resource Conservation Centre and the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division also participated in the operation.

In related news, a Thai man faces up to ten years in jail after being arrested for selling coral online via Facebook. Police seized more than 300 types of corals from the man’s residence.

The 31 year old man, Thitipong, was arrested on August 18, 2022, at his home in Soi Suwinthawong 13, Saen Saeb sub-district, Min Buri district, Bangkok.

Thitipong turned his home into a small aquarium for growing and stocking up corals and selling them online via Facebook.

Thitipong confessed to officers that he bought the corals from Facebook and then bred them until they were the perfect size to sell. He sold the corals for prices ranging from 100 baht to 1,000 baht according to their size.

Police and officers from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources seized 327 pieces of coral, including 216 stony corals, seven soft corals, nine sea anemones, and 95 dead corals.