The man was arrested when he returned from Hungry
The wildlife trade is the second largest black market in the world. A man in his 20s tried to smuggle three lizards and two snakes but was arrested at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development released photos and videos of the incident. The man wrapped the animals in aluminum foil and put them in a lunchbox to disguise them as a snack.
The man was arrested when he returned from Hungry. The video shows customs inspectors at Israel’s airport searching the man’s packages, he found snakes and lizards hidden in a lunchbox and a pair of socks. The name of the suspect was not disclosed. The passenger hid the animals in the plastic container in empty snack bags and aluminum foil to make it look like his in-flight lunch.
A statement from Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development says the rescue took place “thanks to cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture’s inspectors, the Director of Customs, the Wildlife and Parks Authority and the Border Guard.”
According to local media, the man was on a return flight to Israel from Hungary and was arrested a few days ago and faces two years in prison. Authorities said the smuggled animals would be returned to their countries of origin.
Meanwhile, as many as 140 exotic species, including an albino wallaby, were rescued in Mizoram in October last year. According to police sources, the exotic animals were smuggled from neighboring Myanmar and involved smugglers from both countries.
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