Thai airport staff were stunned when they opened three cargo boxes destined for restaurants and found a million pounds worth of endangered eels.

The large cardboard boxes - weighing more than 700kg - were loaded into the hold on two commercial flights from Romania which arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday (December 19) and yesterday morning (December 20).

Customs staff at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport opened the packages and found thousands of the small see-through 'glass eels' wriggling around.

They said that the shipment of the European eel species Anguilla anguilla - banned from export by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - was worth 40 million baht (£970,000GBP).

Luckily, the creatures were saved before being served up as an expensive delicacy out in one of Thailand's many seafood restaurants.

Krissada Jinawijarana, director general of the Customs Department, said: ''We have a strong policy of cracking down on smuggled goods. These were marked as 'cool shrimp' which made us suspicious.

''The species of eel are protected under international law and exporting them is illegal.''

Krissada said the first shipment came from Romania via a connecting flight in Doha on Qatar Air's Flight QR830 on Wednesday night while the second shipment arrived on Qatar Air's Flight QR838 on Thursday morning.

However, officials have been unable to trace the recipients of the packages.

Krissada added: ''The value is approximately 40 million baht. They are an expensive dish and were due to be sold in Thailand.

Thai airport staff were stunned when they opened three cargo boxes destined for restaurants and found a million pounds worth of endangered eels.

The large cardboard boxes - weighing more than 700kg - were loaded into the hold on two commercial flights from Romania which arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday (December 19) and yesterday morning (December 20).

Customs staff at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport opened the packages and found thousands of the small see-through 'glass eels' wriggling around.

They said that the shipment of the European eel species Anguilla anguilla - banned from export by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - was worth 40 million baht (£970,000GBP).

Luckily, the creatures were saved before being served up as an expensive delicacy out in one of Thailand's many seafood restaurants.

Krissada Jinawijarana, director general of the Customs Department, said: ''We have a strong policy of cracking down on smuggled goods. These were marked as 'cool shrimp' which made us suspicious.

''The species of eel are protected under international law and exporting them is illegal.''

Krissada said the first shipment came from Romania via a connecting flight in Doha on Qatar Air's Flight QR830 on Wednesday night while the second shipment arrived on Qatar Air's Flight QR838 on Thursday morning.

However, officials have been unable to trace the recipients of the packages.

Krissada added: ''The value is approximately 40 million baht. They are an expensive dish and were due to be sold in Thailand.