Google – AFP, 17 October 2013
Geneva —
Swiss customs authorities said Thursday that they had arrested a bird
specialist who smuggled the eggs of protected parrots in his underwear and
travelled the globe trading in rare species.
The customs
service said in a statement that the man, whom it did not identify, was though
to have trafficked over 150 eggs from endangered parrots that are protected by
international law, as well as rare pheasant species.
The man, a
Swiss citizen who was also a legal bird trader, was busted at Zurich airport in
2010 with 25 eggs hidden in his underwear as he returned from Brazil.
The customs
service explained that it was only revealing details of the case now because of
the secrecy surrounding the probe.
Investigators
managed to establish that thanks to a solid international network of contacts,
the man managed to smuggle more than 150 eggs to buyers in Indonesia, Thailand
and Mexico.
The total
value of the contraband eggs was 65,000 Swiss francs (54,000 euros, $71,000),
the customs service said, adding that it had not been possible to establish
where they came from.
Investigators
said that the man also had an aviary of several hundred birds, including
endangered species.
The Swiss
veterinary service also seized seven rare parrots from an accomplice, with an
estimated value of 8,000 Swiss francs.
The two men
face a heavy fine for trafficking in endangered species.
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