About 130 turtles rescued from wildlife traffickers earlier this month were released at a protected area in Preah Net Preah district in Banteay Meanchey province on Tuesday.

The Agriculture Department’s provincial director Pang Vanseth said the common species of turtles were trafficked from Thailand to be sold in the capital.

“We seized them on August 5 in Preah Net Preah district. The suspects were planning to sell the turtles to restaurants in Phnom Penh,” said Vanseth.