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Smuggling Animals & Wildlife

Luckily the ape was found, might have perished during the journey.

A Russian tourist has been arrested in Indonesia after airport security discovered a drugged orangutan in his suitcase, local officials said Saturday.

Andrei Zhestkov, 27, told authorities that a friend had given him the 2-year-old animal as a gift. The friend had purchased the orangutan for about $3,000 at a Javanese market, Zhestkov claimed. The tourist said he’d intended on bringing the orangutan back with him to Russia to keep as a pet. Police said Zhestkov also had two geckos and several lizards, all of them alive, in his luggage.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oran...cid=newsltushpmgnews__TheMorningEmail__032519
 
200! That's a lot of venom.

A Chinese man has been caught trying to smuggle around 200 venomous scorpions out of Sri Lanka.

The live animals were discovered by security officials at Colombo airport, packed in plastic boxes. Authorities suggest the man may have been planning to extract the venom from the scorpions once in China. The man who was apprehended by customs officials on Monday was fined 100,000 rupees ($550, £423) and allowed to return home.

Fighting the trafficking of exotic wildlife and the smuggling of gold and illegal drugs has become a major challenge for Sri Lanka.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51090102
 
ramonmercado said:
200! That's a lot of venom.

A Chinese man has been caught trying to smuggle around 200 venomous scorpions out of Sri Lanka.

The live animals were discovered by security officials at Colombo airport, packed in plastic boxes. Authorities suggest the man may have been planning to extract the venom from the scorpions once in China. The man who was apprehended by customs officials on Monday was fined 100,000 rupees ($550, £423) and allowed to return home.

Fighting the trafficking of exotic wildlife and the smuggling of gold and illegal drugs has become a major challenge for Sri Lanka.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51090102
Click to expand...

Though scorpions are somewhat scary and such, I can't help but fell sorry for the scorpions in this case, because they were not doing anything by themselves to harm anyone. If they were to get loose and harm people, then it would be this man's fault.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Here are excerpts from the MIA news article that began this thread. The full article is accessible at the link below.
Airport inspector: Monkey-skull ashtrays no longer shock
Wednesday, December 4, 2002 Posted: 10:55 AM EST (1555 GMT)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Wildlife inspectors at Alaska's largest airport have seen it all, from the traveler who tried to hide a monkey under her big hat to the woman who had a bear gall bladder stuffed in her bra.

"I've almost become numb," said Chris Andrews, one of Alaska's three U.S. Fish and Wildlife inspection officers assigned to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. "When I see a monkey-skull ashtray I say, 'Oh, another monkey-skull ashtray."'

The Anchorage airport, a hub for flights to Russia and the Far East, is the biggest cargo airport in the United States and ranks sixth nationwide for wildlife shipments, processing 6,648 of them in the last fiscal year.

Andrews and his two colleagues typically check about 65 shipments each day and make about one seizure -- probably a small fraction of the illegal wildlife that is getting through. Many of the contraband items are folk remedies and other exotica from Asia.

The items seized are illegal outright or require permits to possess. Andrews said most travelers do not realize they are breaking the law, but plenty of other violators know it.

Penalties range from confiscation of the illegal item to a $100,000 fine and a year in jail. ...

Some of the airport contraband is on display in a glass case outside Andrews' office. Among the curiosities: a woman's leopard coat from Taiwan, a crocodile-head purse from Southeast Asia and a guitar from Mexico made from the shell of a sea turtle.

Andrews pulls a cardboard box from under his desk and holds up two bottles filled with a pale yellow liquid. One has a cobra coiled in the bottom, from Vietnam. The other has two decomposing iguanas and is from China. The "wine" is a popular novelty item with tourists. ...

Inspectors have also confiscated monkey-skull ashtrays from Thailand, dried dog penises, boxes of sea coral, pool cues with inlaid ivory from African elephants, and vials of bear gall bladder extract, which is believed by some to relieve high blood pressure, impotence and rheumatism. ...
Click to expand...

SALVAGED FROM THE WAYBACK MACHINE:
https://web.archive.org/web/2002120...2/04/offbeat.wildlife.smuggling.ap/index.html
 
I saw this article a couple of days ago but had no idea where to post it.
I had no idea shells were worth so much money.

Philippines: Giant clam shells worth $25m seized in raid

Around 200 tonnes of illegally harvested giant clam shells worth nearly $25 million (£18 million) have been seized in the Philippines.

The seizure is one of the largest ever hauls of the endangered species.

Four suspects have been arrested on an island in the ecologically protected province of Palawan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56784215
 
Souleater said:
I saw this article a couple of days ago but had no idea where to post it.
I had no idea shells were worth so much money.

Philippines: Giant clam shells worth $25m seized in raid

Around 200 tonnes of illegally harvested giant clam shells worth nearly $25 million (£18 million) have been seized in the Philippines.

The seizure is one of the largest ever hauls of the endangered species.

Four suspects have been arrested on an island in the ecologically protected province of Palawan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56784215
Click to expand...

They were staple elements in the Boys’ Own Adventure Stories-type books of my youth. Rarely did a Christmas present annual fail to feature a tale in which Biggles or Tarzan or Captain Scarlet was seized by one of those gits, so l have mixed feelings about them being taken out of the game.

maximus otter
 
maximus otter said:
They were staple elements in the Boys’ Own Adventure Stories-type books of my youth. Rarely did a Christmas present annual fail to feature a tale in which Biggles or Tarzan or Captain Scarlet was seized by one of those gits, so l have mixed feelings about them being taken out of the game.

maximus otter
Click to expand...
I remember that happening a lot in old movies too. I wonder whether there are any cases of people really being caught by giant clams.
 
A Guyanese man was arrested at JFK Airport for attempting to smuggle 35 live finches into the USA, most likely intended for "singing contests."
Man arrested at airport after 35 birds intended for singing contests found in his clothing, officials say

A man was arrested and charged with allegedly smuggling 35 live finches in hair curlers from Guyana for "singing contests" in New York City, according to a complaint from the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Kevin Andre McKenzie, a 36-year-old Guyanese resident, flew to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday, according to the complaint, where Customs and Border Protection officers pulled him aside for an examination and found the birds, authorities said. He was charged with unlawfully importing the finches.

Photographs show the tiny finches were stuffed inside hair rollers sealed with perforated netting. Authorities said they were attached to the inside of McKenzie's jacket as well as the top of his shoes. ...
Click to expand...
FULL STORY: https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/27/us/birds-border-protection-smuggle-trnd/index.html
 
Not sure if the sloth was the only critter still alive.

According to the Bangor Daily News, a Montreal woman was arrested at the US-Canada border in Highgate Springs, Vermont, after trying to smuggle the following items into the country:

  • 1 three-toed sloth
  • 18 crocodile skulls and heads
  • 7 crocodile feet
  • 2 horseshoe crabs
  • 30 sea stars
  • 23 raccoon feet
  • 8 African antelope horns
  • 1 human skull "with mounted butterflies"
  • 4 puffer fish
  • 6 six shark jaws
The woman, Vanessa Rondeau, owns a retail store in Montreal called Old Cavern Boutique, which "offers for sale a variety of unique curiosity and oddity items, many composed in whole or in part from wildlife." As the Bennington Banner explains: ...

https://boingboing.net/2021/06/10/w...g-18-crocodile-skulls-and-a-single-sloth.html
 

Border authorities find 52 reptiles hidden in man’s clothing​


A man who tried to slither past U.S. border agents in California had 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing, authorities said Tuesday.

The man was driving a truck when he arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico on Feb. 25 and was pulled out for additional inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.

Agents found 52 live reptiles tied up in small bags “which were concealed in the man’s jacket, pants pockets, and groin area,” the statement said.

Nine snakes and 43 horned lizards were seized. Some of the species are considered endangered, authorities said.

https://apnews.com/article/science-...s-california-06dd6da23ce434019c5905a81e76bbd4

maximus otter
 

Man caught with dozens of lizards in his clothes is charged with smuggling 1,700 reptiles​


A 30-year-old Oxnard man was indicted Thursday on federal charges and accused of smuggling more than 1,700 reptiles into the U.S., hiding some animals in his clothing while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, prosecutors said.

Jose Manuel Perez was charged with two counts of wildlife trafficking, nine counts of smuggling goods into the U.S. and one count of conspiracy after allegedly transporting the animals for a black-market business.

His sister Stephany Perez, 25, was also charged with conspiracy.

Prosecutors allege that between January 2016 and February 2022, Perez, his sister and others used social media to buy, sell and arrange delivery of wildlife in the United States.

Perez was arrested Feb. 25 at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, authorities said, after attempting to cross the border while hiding 60 reptiles — including dozens of lizards and four snakes — in his jacket and pants pockets as well as his groin area and pant legs. According to the indictment, he told customs officials he had nothing to declare, then backtracked and said that "the animals were his pets."

"The defendants allegedly advertised for sale on social media the animals smuggled from Mexico into the United States, posting photos and video that depicted the animals being collected from the wild," the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District of California said in a news release.

The animals included Yucatan and Mexican box turtles, baby crocodiles and Mexican beaded lizards that prosecutors said were imported from Mexico and Hong Kong without the required permits.

https://news.yahoo.com/man-caught-d...2yRZF3puFaIFLJ_sLDplpQpvvXvlOsINzdf5Zpr06O77c

maximus otter
 
maximus otter said:

Man caught with dozens of lizards in his clothes is charged with smuggling 1,700 reptiles​


A 30-year-old Oxnard man was indicted Thursday on federal charges and accused of smuggling more than 1,700 reptiles into the U.S., hiding some animals in his clothing while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, prosecutors said.

Jose Manuel Perez was charged with two counts of wildlife trafficking, nine counts of smuggling goods into the U.S. and one count of conspiracy after allegedly transporting the animals for a black-market business.

His sister Stephany Perez, 25, was also charged with conspiracy.

Prosecutors allege that between January 2016 and February 2022, Perez, his sister and others used social media to buy, sell and arrange delivery of wildlife in the United States.

Perez was arrested Feb. 25 at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, authorities said, after attempting to cross the border while hiding 60 reptiles — including dozens of lizards and four snakes — in his jacket and pants pockets as well as his groin area and pant legs. According to the indictment, he told customs officials he had nothing to declare, then backtracked and said that "the animals were his pets."

"The defendants allegedly advertised for sale on social media the animals smuggled from Mexico into the United States, posting photos and video that depicted the animals being collected from the wild," the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District of California said in a news release.

The animals included Yucatan and Mexican box turtles, baby crocodiles and Mexican beaded lizards that prosecutors said were imported from Mexico and Hong Kong without the required permits.

https://news.yahoo.com/man-caught-d...2yRZF3puFaIFLJ_sLDplpQpvvXvlOsINzdf5Zpr06O77c

maximus otter
Click to expand...
This is why we need a 'WTAF' button (kidding...).
 
Two Indian women were arrested at a Bangkok airport after x-ray screening showed 109 animals stashed in their luggage.
X-ray finds 109 live animals in women's luggage at Bangkok airport, Thai officials say

Two women were arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport and accused of smuggling after 109 live animals were found in their luggage ...

Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said on Monday the wild animals were discovered in two suitcases following an x-ray inspection.

Wildlife officials called to the scene discovered two white porcupines, two armadillos, 35 turtles, 50 lizards and 20 snakes in the two pieces of luggage. ...

Thai authorities said the suitcases belonged to two Indian women ... , who were due to board a flight to the Indian city of Chennai. ...
Click to expand...
FULL STORY: http://edition.cnn.com/travel/artic...s-luggage-bangkok-airport-intl-hnk/index.html
 
↑ Good grief. I hope they get banged up for a while to discourage them in future. I wonder what they’ll actually get. Don’t suppose we’ll ever find out.
 
maximus otter said:

Man caught with dozens of lizards in his clothes is charged with smuggling 1,700 reptiles​

A 30-year-old Oxnard man was indicted Thursday on federal charges and accused of smuggling more than 1,700 reptiles into the U.S., hiding some animals in his clothing while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, prosecutors said. ...
Click to expand...

Update ... Perez has pleaded guilty in what appears to be a negotiated plea deal.
California man pleads guilty to smuggling reptiles in his pants from Mexico into U.S.

At a border crossing between the United States and Mexico, border officials said they found 60 reptiles in an Oxnard man's pockets in February. He claimed they were his pets.

Six months later, that man, Jose Manuel Perez, pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 1,700 wild animals into the U.S. over a six-year period, according to federal prosecutors. The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of smuggling goods into the U.S. and one count of wildlife trafficking.

He faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each smuggling count and up to five years for wildlife trafficking, according to prosecutors. ...
Click to expand...
FULL STORY: https://news.yahoo.com/california-man-pleads-guilty-smuggling-200908635.html
 
Snail invasion foiled

German customs officials said a trail of slime led them to a stash of almost 100 giant African land snails and other items hidden inside bags at Duesseldorf Airport.

Authorities said officials stumbled over one of the snails on a baggage truck and initially thought it was a toy until it started moving.

By following the trail left by the 20cm snail, they found a bag with a hole, with another snail already peeping out of it – possibly preparing a dash for freedom.

In total, officials found six bags containing 93 giant snails, 62lbs of fish and smoked meat, and a suitcase full of rotting meat. All had been imported from Nigeria and were destined for an African goods store in western Germany. The snails were handed to an animal rescue service in Duesseldorf and the meat was destroyed, customs officials said.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-40963163.html
 
I wonder if they were comfort animals?

Customs officials at Thailand's Suvarnabhumi Airport busted a 22-year-old man last week for smuggling two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog in his underwear.

According to the Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the smuggler had put the animals into pantyhose that he tied around his waist.

From Taiwan News:

His odd behavior and visible bulges in his pants caught the attention of officers as he was walking through an X-ray machine at a security checkpoint.
Information on the incident was shared by Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation in a Facebook post on Dec. 6. The Taiwanese man will face charges related to trafficking in prohibited goods, removing protected wildlife from their natural habitat, and attempting to export wildlife without a proper license.
Click to expand...

https://boingboing.net/2023/12/11/m...tters-and-a-prairie-dog-in-his-underwear.html
 
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