The crocodiles were found in a rented house in Dongxing City on Friday when police were collecting home registration information, the border police detachment of Fangchenggang, which administers Dongxing said.

The crocodiles, each around 25 centimeters long, were about 15 days old. They were very likely trafficked from Vietnam, the police said.

Siamese crocodiles are a protected species in China.

The police saw three men, who appeared to be nervous, carrying goods in front of the house, so they approached to question them. Two suspects escaped by truck while the other, who tried to flee from the back door of the house, was caught, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In January, 70 frozen wild Siamese crocodiles were seized from a seafood truck in Fangchenggang.

Siamese crocodiles are a critically endangered species native to Southeast Asia. Their skin is used as a raw material for luxury leather products in the international market. It is illegal in China to raise them without a license or to trade and traffic the species.