67 Giant African Snails Confiscated At Los Angeles International Airport
- 10 years ago
United States Customs agents at the Los Angeles International Airport seized two picnic baskets from Nigeria that contained a total of 67 live giant African snails. The snails are prohibited in the US, but in their native home of West Africa, they are considered a delicacy.
Over the years, the US Customs officials have seized all sorts of illegal things at the border.
Recently, the inspectors at the Los Angeles International Airport seized two picnic baskets from Nigeria that contained a total of 67 live giant African snails.
The snails are prohibited in the US, but in their native home of West Africa, they are considered a delicacy.
Samples of the snails were sent to a federal mollusk specialist in Washington D.C., which confirmed that the seized snails are indeed a prohibited species.
Officials reportedly don’t think that the person carrying them knew they are illegal in the US, and the snails were probably brought over as part of an innocent mistake.
Maveeda Mirza, the Customs and Border Protection program manager for agriculture is quoted as saying: "We're investigating what happened, but it doesn't seem like there was smuggling involved. When someone doesn't know a commodity is prohibited under USDA regulations there is usually no punishment."
Giant African snails can grow to be up to eight inches long, and live for ten years.
They are banned from being imported to the US because the snails can carry parasites that are dangerous to humans, and damage local plant life. The US Department of Agriculture saying that they are known to eat 500 different plant species.
Over the years, the US Customs officials have seized all sorts of illegal things at the border.
Recently, the inspectors at the Los Angeles International Airport seized two picnic baskets from Nigeria that contained a total of 67 live giant African snails.
The snails are prohibited in the US, but in their native home of West Africa, they are considered a delicacy.
Samples of the snails were sent to a federal mollusk specialist in Washington D.C., which confirmed that the seized snails are indeed a prohibited species.
Officials reportedly don’t think that the person carrying them knew they are illegal in the US, and the snails were probably brought over as part of an innocent mistake.
Maveeda Mirza, the Customs and Border Protection program manager for agriculture is quoted as saying: "We're investigating what happened, but it doesn't seem like there was smuggling involved. When someone doesn't know a commodity is prohibited under USDA regulations there is usually no punishment."
Giant African snails can grow to be up to eight inches long, and live for ten years.
They are banned from being imported to the US because the snails can carry parasites that are dangerous to humans, and damage local plant life. The US Department of Agriculture saying that they are known to eat 500 different plant species.