64 Crocodile Parts Seized in Russian Traveler's Luggage

“Russia Today” – The Russian Federal Customs Service announced that customs officers at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport discovered 64 parts of crocodiles, valued at more than 250,000 rubles, in the luggage of a passenger arriving from China.

In a statement, the agency said that customs officers found the 64 crocodile parts in the baggage of a 60-year-old Russian citizen arriving from Haikou, China. The officers discovered the unusual goods during a selective inspection of the passenger’s bag. The traveler had proceeded through the airport’s green channel, and the bag contained reptile heads, feet, skins, and jaws.

The man explained that he was transporting processed products for personal use, believing they were not subject to the international ban stipulated under CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.