Auckland, NZ
Sep. 2, 2013
The wet trousers were a fishy giveaway.
A Vietnamese man attempting to smuggle tropical sea life in his pants was thwarted when New Zealand airport officials noticed his pockets were leaking water, reports Sky News.
Authorities at the airport in Auckland said that when they stopped the man with dripping slacks they were told first that he was thirsty and was carrying water from the plane.
A search revealed that the passenger from Australia was carrying seven fish hidden in plastic bags in his pockets.
The report further revealed that the fish were “all unidentified species of cichlid.” The incentive for the smuggler is that a single one of these fish can fetch more than $100,000.
The inept smuggler had 3/4 of a million dollars worth of fish in his pockets.
The inept smuggler had 3/4 of a million dollars worth of fish in his pockets.
"This appears to be a deliberate attempt to smuggle fish into the country without any consideration of the biosecurity risk involved," Ministry of Primary Industries spokesman Craig Hughes said earlier this week. "That's something we take very seriously."
The water-logged man faces charges under the Biosecurity Act that carry maximum penalties of five years in jail or a $78,000 fine, according to the AFP.
The Daily Mirror reports that Australia and New Zealand have some of the toughest laws in the world about transporting live animals, and require strict quarantines.
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