Police have located the people suspected of involvement with the illegal resale of 18 rare monkeys in Hebei province, through a joint investigation.

The 18 monkeys were smuggled from Kunming, Yunnan province, to Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, by a person from Sichuan province, according to the investigation report, jointly conducted by police from all three provinces.

Police know the identities of all suspects in the case, Yanzhao Evening News reported on Wednesday.

Once the 15 surviving monkeys have been confirmed to be wild macaques, a rare species under national protection, the police will issue orders of arrest for the suspects based on the laws protecting wild animals, the report said.

The traffic police of Handan city in Hebei found 18 monkeys hidden in the luggage compartment of a bus on Feb 25, of which three had died of suffocation during the two days of travel.

The remaining 15 have recovered well since they were taken to a zoo in the city after the rescue.