Airport police superintendent Pol Colonel Chutrakul Yosmadee said Masaru Tomori, 42, stands accused of attempting to export a protected animal species without permission and of bypassing tax and Customs procedures in attempting to carry goods out of the country.

The otters were found in his luggage as he was about to board a flight to Japan’s Narita Airport.

A representative of the Japanese Embassy in Bangkok was expected to visit Tomori at the airport police station on Monday afternoon.