Police have arrested a butcher selling monitor lizard meat allegedly passed off as fish balls on street food stands in Thailand.

Wildlife officials and cops raided the slaughterhouse owned by Mon Nenchatee, 73, in Suphan Buri province on February 28.

They found on the premises 32 live monitor lizards and 59 carcasses. They also discovered 28 dead turtles - 20 snail-eating turtles, 2 Asian box turtles, and 6 Black marsh turtles - stored in pots.

All of the reptiles were protected species in Thailand.

Officers seized tools including 14 knives, an axe, two hammers, a weighing scale, a meat hammer, four cooking gas tanks, and 32 plastic bags in which the lizards were stored.

Mon allegedly admitted to buying the lizards and turtles, which he said were in the process of being sold to customers.

He had hired workers to help 'process' the meat for 300 THB (7.20 GBP) a day, with the employees claiming they were unaware the operation was illegal.

Prasit Lekpetch, 67, one of Mon's customers who was also at the scene, told cops he was buying the 59 carcasses to sell at markets in Trat province. He claimed he did not know about the live monitor lizards and turtles.

Padet Laithong, director of the Wildlife Conservation Office, said the meat was transported to eateries in Trat province that serve wildlife meat.

Some of the rogue meat was allegedly served as white fish balls - a popular dish available from street food stands around Thailand.

Both Mon and Prasit have been charged with possessing protected species. If convicted, they may face five years in prison, fines reaching 500,000 baht (12,000 GBP), or both.

They were also charged with trading protected wildlife, which carries penalties of 10 years in jail, fines up to one million baht (24,000 GBP)M or both.

Police Major Nattawat Suranarot said authorities were tipped off by an anonymous informant, leading to the arrest.

He said that officers are now investigating where the monitor lizard meat was served amid claims from the witness that it was passed off as fish balls. They said they had not been able to trace the fish balls and reassured locals there was no danger.