Thai national held with 50 parrot eggs in South Africa

South African customs officials arrested a Thai national accused of trying to smuggle 50 suspected endangered parrot eggs through Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, the environment ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry said the 50-year-old was arrested last week after officials found the eggs concealed inside a homemade incubator bag being carried as hand luggage.

Preliminary investigations suggest the eggs belong to parrot species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the ministry said.

If convicted, the suspect could face up to 10 years in prison, a 10 million rand fine, or both.

The ministry said the arrest followed a similar incident in July, when a 23-year-old Thai national was detained at the same airport with 418 parrot eggs. It said investigations in both cases were continuing.