Brazilian couple accused of drugging monkeys may have trafficked animals, police say

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A couple in Brazil accused of drugging monkeys at a botanical garden and attempting to abduct them are now being investigated for their possible involvement in animal trafficking.

Investigators allege the accused, Luan Carlos Siqueira and Sarah Porto Silva, mixed sedatives into bananas to drug the monkeys at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, according to the country’s Globo news channel.

Local authorities are now probing whether the couple are tied to a criminal animal trafficking organization which involves selling monkeys to an illegal market.

According to the report, workers at the botanical garden became suspicious on Sept. 1 when they noticed two monkeys were not behaving normally. One monkey apparently had trouble swinging from branches and fell down.

The monkeys were sent away to be assessed and tests revealed that they had been drugged. The animals were also breastfeeding, which pointed to the possibility that newborn baby monkeys had been taken away from their mothers.

After security footage was reviewed, a man and woman were seen behaving suspiciously at the monkey enclosure and identified as suspects.

Police said the couple returned to the park on Monday where they were promptly arrested. Cops allege the accused were caught red-handed mixing clonazepam, a sedative, with bananas to attract the monkeys.

The case was registered at the Gavea Police Station where the couple were charged with two counts each of environmental crimes.

To protect the monkeys at the park, employees have beefed up staffing levels and installed additional security cameras, reports the International Business Times.

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