Photo: Hauptzollamt Potsdam
There’s no limit to people’s inventiveness when it comes to breaking the law, as an elderly passenger flying into Berlin proved earlier this month. He was arrested, unfortunately (for him), but he still gets points for unbound imagination put to (bad) use.
The man, whose identity hasn’t been made public, was apprehended at Berlin’s Schönefeld Airport, flying in from Cairo, Egypt. The 69-year-old passenger passed through the “green channel” at the airport, which meant he had no goods that needed to be registered. He did have some, though.
Customs found a package with “strange contents” in his carry-on, says a press release from the Potsdam Main Customs Office. Asked about its contents, the man claimed it was chocolate – and the box seemed to back his story, as it bore the name of a pastry shop, Etoile Patiserie. Photos taken by customs officers show that, at a first glance, the turtles did resemble pieces of chocolate, placed as they were in the cardboard box, under the clear plastic top.
However, upon a closer look, it was revealed that the 3 large pieces of chocolate were actually Moroccan tortoises, which are protected by the Washington Convention as one of the 5,000 animal species that can’t be traded internationally. Officers promptly arrested the man.
All jokes aside, the man’s crime is a serious one. For violating the stipulations of the Washington Convention, also known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, he is facing up to 5 years behind bars and fines that can reach a total of $57,000.
The report doesn’t say what the man intended to do with the tortoises, but chances are he had already set up things with a buyer – or he wouldn’t have run such a high risk.
The turtles were confiscated and placed in the care of the border veterinarian, and the man will undergo processing by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, the same press release informs.
Customs found a package with “strange contents” in his carry-on, says a press release from the Potsdam Main Customs Office. Asked about its contents, the man claimed it was chocolate – and the box seemed to back his story, as it bore the name of a pastry shop, Etoile Patiserie. Photos taken by customs officers show that, at a first glance, the turtles did resemble pieces of chocolate, placed as they were in the cardboard box, under the clear plastic top.
However, upon a closer look, it was revealed that the 3 large pieces of chocolate were actually Moroccan tortoises, which are protected by the Washington Convention as one of the 5,000 animal species that can’t be traded internationally. Officers promptly arrested the man.
All jokes aside, the man’s crime is a serious one. For violating the stipulations of the Washington Convention, also known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, he is facing up to 5 years behind bars and fines that can reach a total of $57,000.
The report doesn’t say what the man intended to do with the tortoises, but chances are he had already set up things with a buyer – or he wouldn’t have run such a high risk.
The turtles were confiscated and placed in the care of the border veterinarian, and the man will undergo processing by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, the same press release informs.
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