52 lizards and snakes found in man’s pockets
March 10, 2022
SAN DIEGO: A 30-year old man was caught smuggling 52 lizards and snakes at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico on February 25 by US border security, CBP reported in their news release.
US Customs and Border Protection had stopped the truck for inspection at the border around 3:00am. They found these reptiles tied in small bags placed in different pockets of the man’s jacket and pants. Some of the species of lizards were endangered.
“Smugglers will try every possible way to try and get their product, or in this case live reptiles, across the border,” said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego.
He added that despite the species being endangered, they were not taken care of and were poorly handled.
43 horned lizards and nine snakes were confiscated by the police.
For further investigation on the matter, the driver was then turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigators (HSI) and Fish and Wildlife Services (F&WS).
