A combined sting operation by the Border Police, customs and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority netted an Israeli trying to smuggle 21 protected animals into Israel via Ben Gurion Airport on Saturday.
The reptiles were found in the suspect’s luggage as he was exiting the baggage reclaim area. He was unable to produce health certificates or import permits.
According to INPA, the attempted smuggling ran the risk of introducing disease and invasive species into the country.
The animals were handed over to the Veterinary Service and will be returned to their place of origin, while the suspect, a resident of central Israel, was taken for questioning.
In late May, a woman was caught at Ben Gurion Airport trying to smuggle dozens of snakes and other reptiles into the country, including a dangerous anaconda, one of the largest species of constricting snakes in the world.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
