THAI police have stopped a truck carrying two tiger skins and other animal parts as it was leaving a Buddhist temple where monks have been accused of being involved in illegal wildlife trafficking.
Police said that two temple staff members in the truck were arrested and charged with possession of illegal wildlife. He said a monk travelling with them will be arrested once he is defrocked.
The discovery comes a day after 40 dead tiger cubs were found in a freezer at the temple.
Authorities have been transferring the temple's 137 tigers to animal shelters after obtaining a court order.
The temple is a popular tourist attraction that charged admission for visitors to take photos with tigers.
The truck was also carrying more than 700 vials containing tiger skin as well as many tiger teeth hidden in a suitcase, said Teunchai Noochdumrong, director of the government's wildlife conservation office. Such vials are typically used as good luck charms.
Following the discovery of the dead cubs, officials decided to search all vehicles and people going in and out of the temple, she said.
"I am quite shocked," Ms Teunchai said. "We all have heard concerns and allegations about this temple. I would never have thought they would be so blatant."
An adult tiger skin can fetch anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 US dollars (£4,150-£6,925), according to Steve Galster, the director of Freeland, an organisation that fights wildlife trafficking.
Mr Galster said he believes the temple was breeding tigers to sell them, either alive or in parts, into the lucrative illegal wildlife trade.
Authorities have also found 20 jars containing preserved young tigers at the temple, a national parks official said.
The temple has been criticized by animal rights activists because of allegations it is not properly set up to care for the animals and flouted regulations restricting the trade of tigers.
The young tigers preserved in the jars were found in the vet's office at the temple, said Anusorn Noochdumrong, an official from the Department of National Parks who has been overseeing the transfer of the temple's tigers to shelters. The animals' bodies were preserved in an unidentified liquid, he said.
The temple recently made arrangements to operate as a zoo, but the plan fell through when the government determined that the operators failed to secure sufficient resources.
The monks resisted previous efforts to take away the tigers, but relented this week after police obtained a court order.
