Spanish passengers with 259 reptiles in suitcases detained at Schiphol airport
Wednesday, September 7, 2016 @ 1:40 PM
THREE Spanish passengers have been arrested at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport with a total of 259 live reptiles in their four suitcases.
According to customs officers in the Dutch capital, 10 of them had died en route from an undisclosed destination in México when they were transported illegally to Spain via The Netherlands.
The creatures included lizards, turtles and even snakes, and many of them are endangered species including the Chuckwalla lizard (pictured) which is only found on the Mexican island of San Esteban, and nowhere else in the world.
Their total market value was said to be around €80,000.
All surviving creatures were due to be taken to a rescue centre or safari park for proper, expert care.
The passengers were arrested and charged with breaking Dutch laws covering flora and fauna transporting, since they did not have the required permits to carry the reptiles into the country, and also with animal cruelty given that the creatures had been squashed into airless suitcases for a long-haul flight.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com