Bizarre Items Busted By Airport Customs

We’ve heard of people trying to smuggle alcohol, food and even shampoo through airport customs, but then you get the risky travellers who try to smuggle the most bizarre things. As impressive as their smuggling attempts were, they couldn’t get past the ninja-searching skills of airport security. Here are some of the strangest items that were busted by customs.

Finding Headspace

Authorities at the Athens International Airport arrested two young American travellers after finding 6 human skulls in their luggage. The tourists claimed they bought it at a souvenir shop on the island of Mykonos and had no idea that they were the real deal. Maybe the next time they travel they should bring back a mug or a t-shirt, just to be safe.

Something Fishy

Image Source: ODDEE

Customs officials stopped a woman as she arrived at Melbourne Airport after hearing strange ‘flipping’ noises from her skirt area. They found 51 live tropical fish swimming in packets hidden in a specially designed apron under her skirt. The fish were later identified as tropical Catfish and an endangered species, the Asian Arowana, making them prohibited imports. The fish were valued at around £19,000.

Take Flight

Image Source: ODDEE

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, It’s a man trying to get a bird onto a plane, 14 birds in fact. A 46-year old traveller was stopped at Los Angeles International Airport when customs officers noticed bird droppings on his socks, and feathers creeping out from under his pants. When they searched him they found 14 live birds attached to 2 flat pieces of cloth, strapped to his legs under his trousers. It wasn’t confirmed whether he was going to sell them or not, maybe the guy just really likes birds.

Stuffed Animals

Image Source: Traffic

A woman was apprehended at Bangkok Airport when she was caught with a live tiger cub hidden in her suitcase. The little tiger was sedated and squashed between stuffed animal tigers, but Bangkok custom officials could clearly see that it was the real thing. The three month old tiger cub was to be sold on the black market in Iran, where it’s worth just under £2000.

Reptile Fever

Image Source: BBC

After finding a tarantula hidden in a passenger’s luggage, Norwegian customs officials grew suspicious and decided to do a full body search. They found 14 royal pythons and 10 albino leopard geckos hidden under the man’s clothing. He cleverly rolled up the pythons in socks and put the geckos inside little boxes, and then taped them to his chest and legs.The animals had a total value of over £6000. It's scenarios like this that make films like Snakes on a Plane seem more realistic.

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