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Smuggling Animals & Wildlife

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cnn.com/2002/TRAVEL/12/04/offbeat.wildlife.smuggling.ap/index.html
Link is dead. See later post for content of the MIA news article.
 
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Man jailed for smuggling eight snakes in trousers

A Swedish tourist who tried to smuggle eight baby snakes, four of which were venomous king cobras, into Australia in his trousers has been jailed for two months.

Per Johan Adolfsson, 28, was sentenced in Sydney's Central Local Court for importing an endangered species and making a false and misleading statement.

Adolfsson was searched by customs officers at Sydney Airport on September 22, after arriving from Bangkok on a Thai Airways flight.

They found four venomous baby king cobras and four baby emerald tree boas strapped to his legs in homemade pouches. The cobras had died during the nine-hour flight, but the boas survived.

Adolfsson's lawyer, Michael Priddis, said his client had bought the snakes for 1,500 Australian dollars (US
Man jailed for smuggling eight snakes in trousers

A Swedish tourist who tried to smuggle eight baby snakes, four of which were venomous king cobras, into Australia in his trousers has been jailed for two months.

Per Johan Adolfsson, 28, was sentenced in Sydney's Central Local Court for importing an endangered species and making a false and misleading statement.

Adolfsson was searched by customs officers at Sydney Airport on September 22, after arriving from Bangkok on a Thai Airways flight.

They found four venomous baby king cobras and four baby emerald tree boas strapped to his legs in homemade pouches. The cobras had died during the nine-hour flight, but the boas survived.

Adolfsson's lawyer, Michael Priddis, said his client had bought the snakes for 1,500 Australian dollars (US$1,000) from a professional breeder. It was not clear whether the snakes were bought in Thailand or Sweden.

"It was a very haphazard, small-scale, and amateurish operation," said Priddis. "He is not part of a smuggling ring."

Priddis said Adolfsson, a glass worker and window fitter, had been suffering depression and alcohol abuse following an injury at work in Sweden.

He had planned to sell the snakes in Australia for A$5,000 (US3,500) to fund an eight-day holiday and lift his spirits.

"It is a bizarre way to have a holiday," Priddis told the court.

Magistrate Paul Macmahon said the court took such offences seriously because exotic animals could bring into Australia sickness that could devastate local wildlife.

© Associated Press


Story filed: 11:46 Wednesday 22nd October 2003
,000) from a professional breeder. It was not clear whether the snakes were bought in Thailand or Sweden.

"It was a very haphazard, small-scale, and amateurish operation," said Priddis. "He is not part of a smuggling ring."

Priddis said Adolfsson, a glass worker and window fitter, had been suffering depression and alcohol abuse following an injury at work in Sweden.

He had planned to sell the snakes in Australia for A,000 (US3,500) to fund an eight-day holiday and lift his spirits.

"It is a bizarre way to have a holiday," Priddis told the court.

Magistrate Paul Macmahon said the court took such offences seriously because exotic animals could bring into Australia sickness that could devastate local wildlife.

© Associated Press


Story filed: 11:46 Wednesday 22nd October 2003

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_831245.html?menu=news.quirkies
 
Man smuggles alligators in his jacket

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/News/2004/03/15/382851.html

A Woodbridge [Ontario] man has been arrested after customs agents seized four rare baby American alligators being allegedly smuggled into Canada stuffed inside a driver's jacket. The accused will appear in Windsor court today to face smuggling-related charges.

"The alligators are in a safe place and are being very well cared for," said Dan Yen, of the Canada Border Services Agency. "They are babies and require extra care."

Yen said the accused was charged Jan. 23 when a vehicle was searched entering Canada from Detroit at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel.

"The reptiles were found inside the lining of a jacket," he said. "The item was being worn at the time."

Customs officials said an export permit is required from U.S. officials to bring the reptiles into Canada.

"This is not a common occurrence for us," Yen said. "It is the first seizure of alligators I can remember."

He said officials were concerned about the animals' health when they were found. The alligators, which can grow as long as five metres, are native to Georgia and South Carolina.

They are sold for upwards of $200 each on some Internet animal auction sites.

Environment Canada spokesman Gary Colgan said the reptiles are listed as threatened species and his agency is investigating.

Renato Rinomota, 34, has been charged for failure to report an alligator, unlawful possession of an alligator and smuggling. He faces five years in jail or a $5,000 fine if convicted.
 
We've had the guy smuggling live alligators under his jacket http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewt ... 844#354844

and the guy smuggling live snakes in his trousers http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewt ... 579#280579

Now, it's live fish under a woman's skirt. (doesn't anyone smuggle live mammals on their person?)

Nice photo of the "fish apron" at the link, BTW

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/0 ... index.html


Stop! Are those live fish under your skirt?

'Flipping' noises from woman catch airport officials' attention


Wednesday, June 8, 2005 Posted: 8:30 AM EDT (1230 GMT)


MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) -- An Australian woman was found to be carrying 51 live tropical fish after custom officials were alerted by "flipping" noises coming from beneath her skirt as she arrived at Melbourne airport.

On closer inspection, officers discovered the woman had strapped on an apron of plastic water-filled bags containing the fish, the Australian Customs Service said in a statement on Tuesday.

"During the search, customs officers became suspicious after hearing 'flipping' noises coming from the vicinity of her waist," said the statement.

The 43-year-old woman arrived in Melbourne on a flight from Singapore last Friday. Customs are still trying to determine what type of fish she brought into the country and have not yet charged her with an offense.

She could face charges for breaking quarantine and customs laws for bringing in the fish without giving a declaration.

Copyright 2005 Reuters.
 
EU snaps up Gaza croc woman

A Palestinian woman was found to have three live crocodiles strapped to her stomach when she was stopped by EU officials at Gaza's border with Egypt.
The reptiles, each around 40-50cm (15-20 inches) long, were taped to the woman's body beneath her dress.

But despite her loose fitting robe, suspicions were raised by her girth, an EU spokeswoman told the BBC.

The woman told border guards she intended to sell the crocodiles to a zoo in Gaza City.

She was stopped last week but later released.

The reptiles were sent back to Egypt.

EU spokeswoman Maria Telleria Chavarri said the discovery had caused amazement among border officials.

She said border guards have in the past foiled attempts to smuggle exotic birds and two lion cubs into Gaza.

"It's illegal to smuggle such animals. Crocodiles are protected under UN regulations," she added.

The EU's Border Assistance Mission has been assisting with security in the area since November 2005.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle ... 495491.stm
 
From The Times

May 25, 2007


Getting snakes on a plane

Customs officers at Cairo airport have detained a man they caught trying to smuggle 700 live snakes – including two poisonous cobras – on to a plane bound for Saudi Arabia. Police officers were stunned when a passenger, identified as Yahia Rahim Tulba, after being asked to open his carry-on bag, told them that it contained live snakes. He showed the snakes to the police but asked them not to come too close. Mr Tulba was arrested for violating export laws. (AP)

© Copyright 2007 Times Newspapers Ltd
 
Garden gnomes hid smuggled snakes

Australian customs officials have found live reptiles hidden in the hollowed insides of ceramic garden gnomes sent as gifts from England.


A total of seven snakes and eight lizards were found inside three of the pottery figurines.

The snakes, destined for two addresses in Sydney, were found when the parcels were opened by customs officials.

The two addresses where the gnomes were heading have been raided but no arrests have been made.

"When the package was opened, the officer spotted several snakes moving about. The package was immediately resealed," Australian customs said in a statement.

Due to quarantine regulations, all the reptiles were put down.

A special licence is needed to bring live reptiles into Australia.

People found guilty of smuggling wildlife into the country face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 110,000 Australian dollars ($92,700; £46,700).

Published: 2007/06/19 09:51:23 GMT
© BBC MMVII

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6766631.stm
 
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Man 'steals iguanas in fake leg'

A Californian man has been charged with using his false leg to smuggle three endangered iguanas from a nature reserve in Fiji to the United States.
Prosecutors say Jereme James stole the banded iguanas while on a visit to the South Pacific island in 2002.

He is alleged to have constructed a special compartment inside his prosthetic limb to move the reptiles.

Officials began investigating Mr James after receiving a tip off that he was in possession of several of the beasts.

The Fiji Island Banded Iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus), noted for its bright green skin, is threatened with extinction and protected under an international treaty regulating trade in endangered species.

Mr James could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

'Admission'

Having been informed that Mr James had several specimens at his home, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service launched an undercover investigation into his activities.

On one occasion, Mr James reportedly told an undercover agent that he sold three banded iguanas for the sum of $32,000 (£16,000) four years ago.

When Mr James's house was searched in July agents are said to have found a further four banded iguanas.

Officials say they think Mr James was breeding the animals for sale.

"That's what we believe has been going on," Assistant US Attorney Joseph O Johns told the Associated Press news agency. "Mother Nature has taken her course."

The iguanas would now be placed in a breeding programme in the US, Mr Johns added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7007942.stm
 
Man caught smuggling pigeons in his trousers
An Australian man was arrested after he was caught trying to bring two pigeons into the country hidden in his trousers.

By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney
Last Updated: 5:37PM GMT 03 Feb 2009

The 23-year-old man was stopped by customs officials at Melbourne airport after he disembarked a flight from Dubai. The officers searched his bags and allegedly found a vitamin container containing two bird eggs.

A further search revealed he was wearing tights under his trousers, with a live pigeon stuffed into each leg. The birds were wrapped in padded envelopes, but had little else to protect them during the 10-hour flight.

It is illegal to bring wildlife into Australia, which has strict quarantine laws designed to protect health, agriculture and the environment of the island nation.

The man was arrested on the scene and could face 10 years in jail and a substantial fine if convicted. He is now being questioned by police.

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... users.html

Amusing photo on page of the man with his tights down...! :shock:
 
Indian police arrest man carrying horde of snakes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10802480
By Narayan Bareth BBC News, Jaipur

Cobra recovered by Jaipur police Many of the snakes were reportedly ill-treated

A man has been arrested on suspicion of breaking wildlife laws after he was found with 43 snakes in his car, police in the Indian city of Jaipur have said.

Rajesh Kapoor was arrested with the snakes, including eight protected cobras, in a cotton bag, police said.

Mr Kapoor has previously been linked with idol smuggling and antiques theft, superintendent of police Hawa Singh Ghumariya said.

A snake rescue team was looking after the snakes.

The arrested man runs a fitness centre in Jaipur and told journalists that he hoped to sells the snakes on the international market.

Police say that he claimed to have got the snakes from snake charmers - but their investigations revealed this to be untrue and he was arrested on suspicion of various offences in contravention of India's wildlife laws.

A snake rescue team led by Piyush Shashtri has now been deployed by police to treat the serpents, some of which are suffering from injuries, police said.

They said that three species of snake were found, but only the cobras were poisonous. It is believed they were ill-treated and kept in cruel conditions.

''Snakes are in big demand on the international market for their skins and venom," Mr Shashtri said. "Body parts are also in demand to use in herbal medicine."

Mr Ghumariya said that the snakes will be released into the forest "after completing the legal process".
 
rynner said:
Perhaps we should have a 'Life imitating Fiction' thread...

Ton of live snakes found on plane in Vietnam
By Thomas Bell, South East Asia Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:44am GMT 19/01/2008

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... ake118.xml
And again:

Snakes on the plane: Jakarta police foil smuggling bid

Indonesian customs officials have arrested two men suspected of trying to take 40 snakes on to a flight to Dubai.
The two were about to enter the departure area at Jakarta airport when X-rays showed their bags were filled with sedated pythons, officials say.
The two suspects told investigators they planned to sell the animals to collectors in the United Arab Emirates, the AP news agency reports.
They face up to seven years in jail if found guilty of attempted smuggling.

"People often use the flights to Dubai to smuggle illegal animals," an official at Jakarta airport told AFP news agency.
"For the sake of flight safety and security, no animals are allowed to be brought on to aircraft without permission and special handling," the official, Salahudin Rafi, added.

The pythons have been taken to the animal quarantine centre at Jakarta's Sukarno-Hatta airport.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12871368
 
Careful, that's real leopard: man smuggles half a jungle in first class
Thai authorities find baby leopards, panthers, monkeys and bear drugged and crammed inside luxury passenger's luggage
guardian.co.uk, Friday 13 May 2011 08.41 BST

A first-class passenger has been arrested at Thailand's international airport after being found carrying suitcases filled with baby leopards, panthers, a bear and monkeys. The animals had been drugged and were headed for Dubai.

The man, a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen, was waiting to check-in for his flight at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport when he was apprehended by undercover anti-trafficking officers, who had been monitoring him since his black market purchase of the rare and endangered animals, according to the Freeland Foundation, an anti-trafficking group based in Thailand.

When authorities opened the suitcases, the animals yawned, said Steven Galster, director of Freeland, who was present during the bust. There were two leopards, two panthers, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys – all about the size of puppies.
"It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn't move around much," Galster said. Some of the animals had been placed inside canisters with air holes.

Authorities have said the man was part of a trafficking network. They are searching for accomplices.
"It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation. We've never seen one like this before," Galster said. "The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases."

Thailand is a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking but authorities typically find rare turtles, tortoises, snakes and lizards that feed demand in China and Vietnam. Finding such an array of live mammals is unusual.
"We haven't seen this mixture (of animals) before," Galster said. "It's amazing. We were really surprised."

In Thailand leopards and panthers fetch roughly $5,000 apiece on the black market but their value in Dubai was presumably higher, Galster said. It was not known if the animals were destined to be resold or kept as exotic pets, which is popular in the Middle East.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/ma ... land-dubai
 
Careful, that's real leopard: man smuggles half a jungle in first class

Thai authorities find baby leopards, panthers, monkeys and bear drugged and crammed inside luxury passenger's luggage

A first-class passenger has been arrested at Thailand's international airport after being found carrying suitcases filled with baby leopards, panthers, a bear and monkeys. The animals had been drugged and were headed for Dubai.

The man, a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen, was waiting to check-in for his flight at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport when he was apprehended by undercover anti-trafficking officers, who had been monitoring him since his black market purchase of the rare and endangered animals, according to the Freeland Foundation, an anti-trafficking group based in Thailand.

When authorities opened the suitcases, the animals yawned, said Steven Galster, director of Freeland, who was present during the bust. There were two leopards, two panthers, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys – all about the size of puppies.

"It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn't move around much," Galster said. Some of the animals had been placed inside canisters with air holes.

Authorities have said the man was part of a trafficking network. They are searching for accomplices.

"It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation. We've never seen one like this before," Galster said. "The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases."

Thailand is a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking but authorities typically find rare turtles, tortoises, snakes and lizards that feed demand in China and Vietnam. Finding such an array of live mammals is unusual.

"We haven't seen this mixture (of animals) before," Galster said. "It's amazing. We were really surprised."

In Thailand leopards and panthers fetch roughly $5,000 apiece on the black market but their value in Dubai was presumably higher, Galster said. It was not known if the animals were destined to be resold or kept as exotic pets, which is popular in the Middle East.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/ma ... land-dubai
 
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Sixty-seven giant snails seized at LA airport

Sixty-seven live giant African snails have been seized by US customs agents.
The snails, which are prohibited in the US, were found by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport.
They arrived from Nigeria and were intended for a person in California, said Lee Harty, a spokeswoman for the customs agency.
The molluscs are among the largest land snails in the world and can grow up to 8ins (20cm) long, said officials.

The US Department of Agriculture put the snails in an incinerator after they were inspected, said Harty, because they can carry parasites that are harmful to humans, including one that can lead to meningitis.

They are also potentially damaging to nature, said Maveeda Mirza, the CBP programme manager for agriculture.
"These snails are seriously harmful to local plants because they will eat any kind of crop they can get to," said Ms Mirza, who added that investigations were continuing into why one person would want so many.
"We're investigating what happened, but it doesn't seem like there was smuggling involved," she said.

This is the first time that they have confiscated such a large quantity, she added, although there have been cases of much smaller numbers being found to be accidentally in people's luggage.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28304560
 
How cruel, to incinerate them. I'm assuming it was done when they were alive.
(US Customs have been known to shred live birds so I can fully believe this. :evil: )

No crueller than how other molluscs and lobsters are killed/cooked though I suppose. That's never done for me, though.
 
escargot1 said:
How cruel, to incinerate them. I'm assuming it was done when they were alive.
(US Customs have been known to shred live birds so I can fully believe this. :evil: )

No crueller than how other molluscs and lobsters are killed/cooked though I suppose. That's never done for me, though.

That strikes me as very cruel, as well. Amongst people who keep these snails as pets, it's usually accepted that the kindest way to euthanase them is to put them in the freezer; they gradually slow down, seal themselves into their shells as though preparing for harsh weather, and freeze solid.
 
Then you can slice them really thinly.
 
Some years ago, I watched one of those fly-on-the-wall shows, in which a large, African lady was taken to one side by customs officers to discuss the amazing number of giant snails she had secreted about her person.

The word "secreted" is the first word you will dwell on. Person second. :shock:
 
JamesWhitehead said:
Some years ago, I watched one of those fly-on-the-wall shows, in which a large, African lady was taken to one side by customs officers to discuss the amazing number of giant snails she had secreted about her person.

The word "secreted" is the first word you will dwell on. Person second. :shock:

:shock: You're exactly right.

Pass the lobotomy knife, please.
 
He must have had shell shock.

A Canadian man taped 51 live turtles to his legs and groin and tried to hide them under sweatpants in an attempt to smuggle the reptiles over the Detroit border crossing, according to federal prosecutors in Michigan.

The man was captured as part of a surveillance operation conducted by US Fish and Wildlife Service agents. An official with the service said there has been an increase in turtle smuggling in the last year, which they attribute to demand in Asian food and collector markets.

“These turtles, by the time they get to the end-collector, they can be worth anywhere from $1,300 to $1,500 a turtle,” said Ed Grace, deputy chief law enforcement officer with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Prosecutors say Kai Xu and Lihua Lin attempted to smuggle several species of North American pond turtles out of the US and into Canada.

On 5 August, two fish and wildlife agents say they watched Xu disappear behind two semi-trailers in a Detroit parking lot for about 10 minutes before reappearing with, “irregularly shaped bulges under Xu’s sweatpants on both legs”. ...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/s ... -us-border
 
https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...re-malaysia-tuas-checkpoint-ica-a8718716.html

sei46852695.jpg

Four kittens were found hidden in a man's trousers( Immigration & Checkpoints Authority/Facebook )
MAN ARRESTED WITH FOUR LIVE KITTENS HIDDEN IN HIS TROUSERS IN SINGAPORE
'Trying to get past fur-midable officers? Impawsible'

A man who tried to smuggle four live kittens in his trousers through a Singaporean checkpoint was clocked by his oversized bulge.
The live cargo was discovered when immigration officials in the South East Asian city state heard “mewing” sounds coming from the man’s trousers.

The 45-year-old Singaporean was attempting to travel through the Tuas Checkpoint, which links Malaysia and Singapore.

The Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) shared the story on Facebook.
“Trying to get past fur-midable officers? Impawsible,” they said in a post.
The kittens are now in the care of the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore.

Immigration officials warned that smuggled animals of “unknown health status” could introduce diseases like rabies to the city state.
The ICA added: “This method of concealment is a cause for concern as similar methods may be used by people with ill intent to smuggle security items into Singapore. The ICA will continue to conduct security checks to prevent smuggling attempts.”

In June 2018, a man was arrested at Heathrow Airport when officials found two vulture chicks and 17 eggs of other rare bird species in his body belt.
 
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Funnily enough, before I clicked on this thread, I was thinking that "kitten smuggler" sounded like a female version of "budgie smuggler"...

Anyway, fascinating stuff, but what's the connection with Sloane Square tube station, or tubes full of finches?
 
Someone has to point out that they are just adorable little guys. Also these are not purebreds. Why do it?
 
Could have been a catastrophe. I bet it gave the customs officers paws for thought.

An air passenger who arrived in India from Thailand has been detained at the airport after customs officers found a month-old leopard cub in his luggage.

Suspicions were raised when officials heard noises coming from his bag, which was found to contain the 2.2lb (1kg) cub hidden in a plastic grocery basket. The man had arrived at Chennai airport on Saturday on a flight from Bangkok. Authorities are investigating whether the suspect is part of an international smuggling ring, officials told AFP. The 45-year-old, who has not yet been officially named, was said to have been "evasive in his replies" when questioned about his luggage by customs officers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47103009
 
Probably don't want to traumatise it with another trip just yet, it's such a lil cutie
 
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