Traveler Busted After Customs Makes Wild Discovery in His Suitcase
The haul included several protected species, each worth hundreds of dollars on the black market.
NNK World
A Mexican man was arrested at a Tokyo airport after customs officials discovered about 200 lizards stuffed inside 22 pairs of socks in his suitcase, according to reports.
Daniel Isaac Velasco Baltazar, 23, arrived at Haneda Airport from South Korea when officials found the reptiles hidden in his luggage.
One of the animals was already dead when the suitcase was opened.
The haul included nine Mexican alligator lizards, an endangered species with strict international trade restrictions.
Velasco Baltazar allegedly told investigators he’d bought the lizards in Mexico for roughly $3.50 to $4.70 each.
Some of the reptiles can fetch around $630 apiece in Japan, according to reports.
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Keith Jeffries, vice president of K2 Security Screening Group and former federal security director at Los Angeles International Airport, said the profit margin explains why smugglers keep trying.
“If there’s a market for it, people will attempt to smuggle it,” Jeffries told Fox News Digital.
“We’ve seen this before many times. It happens more frequently than any of us would like.”
According to Jeffries, security screening procedures differ depending on the agency and the smuggled items being sought after.
“The TSA security directives do not look for items from just a smuggling standpoint,” Jeffries said, explaining how a lizard-smuggler might get away with the unusual theft.
Velasco Baltazar was busted for the unusual smuggle.
NNK World
“They look for guns, knives, explosives, incendiary devices—and it’s very specific and narrow to that.”
Still, in Jeffries’ time with TSA, he has found exotic birds and even turtles hidden in people’s luggage.
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