The Ecuadorian National Police arrested three Thai nationals on May 19, 2026, at the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil on suspicion of wildlife trafficking.
They seized 12 marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), endemic to the Galápagos. The reptiles were found stuffed in handbags with their legs tightly bound. One was dead and those that survived had numbness in their limbs, the Ministry of Environment and Energy said in a social media post. The reptiles are now under specialized care.
All four species of endemic Galápagos iguanas, including marine iguanas, are protected under Ecuadorian laws and have the highest level of protections under CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty. Both protections prohibit removing the iguanas from the wild or selling them.
“The illegal extraction and trade of Galápagos species poses a threat to one of Ecuador’s and the world’s most important natural heritage sites,” the Ministry of Environment and Energy said in a press release. It added the government is monitoring and coordinating efforts to “prevent and punish wildlife crimes.”
The operation was carried out by the national police, in coordination with the Environmental Authority, the Galápagos National Park Directorate and the Governing Council of the Galápagos Special Regime. Further investigations are ongoing.
