PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA ― Masphal Kry was on his way to an international meeting about trade regulations for endangered species. As the deputy director of wildlife and biodiversity for Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, this was part of his job. But in what conservationists call an “ironic tragedy”, Kry was apprehended in New York and charged with smuggling endangered wild monkeys into the United States. He was one of eight people charged as part of an “international primate smuggling ring”, which included the director-general of Cambodia’s Forestry Administration, as well as the owner, general manager and four employees of primate supplier Vanny Resources and Bio Research, according to the US Department of Justice. The alleged smuggling ring was part of a global, billion-dollar wildlife trade industry, and Cambodia has long been under suspicion of trafficking wild macaques through the legal trade of captive-bred monkeys. Bribes for ministry officials reached tens of thousands of dollars over the years, indicated US court documents, which also noted a hefty donation from Vanny Bio Research to Cambodia’s ruling political party at the request of the now-indicted director-general. As the Cambodian government remained tight-lipped, conservationists wondered if the charges would spark change. Primatologists fear that ecosystems without macaques could have concerning effects on Southeast Asia’s forests. Long-tailed macaques are considered the most traded primate in the world because of their use in laboratory research, which included the development of Covid-19 vaccines. In July, the macaque was uplisted from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’ on the Red List of Threatened Species, which listed ‘biological use’ as the primary main threat. “The practice of illegally taking them from their habitat to end up in a lab is something we need to stop,” said Juan Antonio Gonzalez, a US attorney. “Greed should never come before responsible conservation.” Cambodia’s exports of long-tailed macaques to the US date back to 2000, and the industry has boomed since then. A United Nations-managed trade database has recorded the export of more than 100,000 macaques, listed as ‘live’ or ‘specimens’, from Cambodia to the US in the following two decades. Bookending this ongoing trade relationship, which started with the first-recorded export of 200 macaque specimens in 2000, is a Maleth Aero flight that had a cargo of more than 700 live long-tailed macaques and departed Phnom Penh the same day the indictments were announced. The final destination – Washington, DC. “The fact you have government officials involved surely must raise question marks as to what could be happening in other facilities in Cambodia,” said Sarah Kite, who is part of a primate transportation monitoring network. “The irony and tragedy for the macaques is that the same person supposed to protect and conserve the species has been indicted for the very opposite – plundering the wild populations.” The US Department of Justice announced Kry’s arrest on November 16, also slapping charges against Cambodia’s Forestry Administration Director-General Omaliss Keo. Indictments were also issued against six Vanny Resources and Bio Research employees; founder and owner James Man Sang Lau, general manager Dickson Lau, deputy general manager Sunny Chan, export manager Raphael Cheung Man, finance officer Sarah Yeung and manager of the Cambodia facilities Hing Ip Chung. Vanny Bio Research has declined several requests to tour its two breeding facilities in Cambodia. The largest one, which spans 40 hectares, is a stone’s throw away from a provincial Forestry Administration building. Omaliss did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Similar requests from the reporter about past investigations into the government’s role in macaque breeding, forest developments and reforestation initiatives have been ignored. In a press release, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries wrote it was “surprised and saddened” to hear about Kry’s arrest, and saw eye to eye with conservationists about the “big irony” that he was apprehended on the way to a United Nations-backed meeting about the protection of endangered species. But the ministry dug its heels in by stating that macaques “are not caught from the wilderness and smuggled out” and that rules and regulations had been respected. The statement ended with a ministry promise to “seek justice for our officials.” The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ Dith Tina did not respond to requests for comment.