A Japanese tourist was detained at a Thai airport after being caught trying to smuggle some 500 frogs, insects and other creatures out of the country.
The man in his sixties was stopped at Suvarnabhumi International Airport after an X-ray machine flagged boxes upon boxes of creepy crawlies stashed in his luggage.
The man had reportedly obtained permission to take 250 insects with him from Thailand to Japan but was found to have around double with him.
Spine-tingling images showed large collection of small containers packed with large spiders, live frogs, ants and centipedes, prompting authorities to intervene.
The man was reportedly planning to buy scorpions and other insects in Thailand to sell on in Japan.
The five crates in total were said to be worth around 400,000 yen, or just over £2,000, to the right buyer.
The man was caught trying to smuggle the creatures while passing through security
Live frogs were among the grotesque collection of animals heading for Japan
The creatures were packaged in small boxes with little room for movement
The Japanese buyer was reported to have travelled to Thailand to buy scorpions to sell
Vials, more properly labelled, contained ants native only to Thailand
Authorities said that the creatures were protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – or CITES.
Pictures showed huge cardboard boxes being handled by staff and packages weighed at the airport.
Authorities cut open bags to reveal packages inside the lining before the tourist’s detention on July 16.
Small vials labelled with the Latin name for a rare Thai ant were also shown, wrapped in bubblewrap.
A dish covered only with a plastic lid and marked with scrawled handwriting appeared to contain a kind of shrimp hidden in tissue paper.
Many of the creatures were locked up in the boxes with just a sheet of paper, without food or drink for the average six-hour flight time.
Earlier this month, a man was caught trying to smuggle 104 live snakes in his trouser pockets into China in breach of local law.
Officials said a male passenger entered the country through a port at Futian before he was stopped and searched.
He was found to be harbouring snakes inside canvas bags sealed with adhesive tape in his pockets.
‘Once opened, each bag was found to contain living snakes in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colours,’ a statement read.
The bags included a milk snake, the western pig-nosed snake and a corn snake.
None of them were venomous, Business Insider reported.
But the smuggling of non-native species into China is illegal and the country has introduced strict measures to crack down on animal trafficking, often linked to the snake farming trade.
It was not clear for what purpose the snakes were brought into the country, but officials said they might pursue legal action.
‘Those who break the rules will be … held liable in accordance with the law,’ the customs authority said.
Thai authorities have stepped up their efforts to crack down on illegal animal smuggling
The man reportedly had a permit to transport 250 creatures – but was found with some 500
Officials found five large cardboard boxes packed full of various insects, arachnids and frogs
Officials found a variety of protected species among the boxes of containers
What appeared to be a shrimp was found packaged in a small container marked in pen
Authorities were forced to cut into the lining of the man’s bags after the shock discovery
Earlier this year, a man was arrested trying to smuggle Komodo dragons, pythons, tortoises and 24 live fish out of the country.
Astonishingly, Komodo dragons can grow up to 10ft and weigh 300lbs.
The man, heading for the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, was arrested on February 17 after checking in for a flight at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
He was chraged with smuggling protected animals, the customs department said.
Again, it was unclear for what purpose he was attempting to smuggle the animals.
