Giant ‘highly invasive’ snails found hidden in man’s bag at NY airport, officials say

Giant snails that can spread meningitis and cause “extensive damage” aren’t allowed in the United States.

But a traveler brought 22 of them to a New York City airport anyway, officials say.

Customs and Border Protection agricultural specialists discovered the Giant African snails Sunday during a baggage check at John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to a Tuesday news release.

The snails are considered “one of the most damaging” in the world, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.

They consume at least 500 types of plants — including papaya, peanuts, rubber, melons, cucumbers, beans and peas, the USDA says — and those eating habits pose a threat to U.S. agricultural resources and can cause “extensive damage to tropical and sub-tropical environments.”

They also multiply quickly — producing roughly 1,200 eggs in one year, according to Customs and Border Patrol.

“In 1966, a Miami, FL, boy smuggled three Giant African snails into south Florida upon returning from a trip to Hawaii,” the USDA says. “His grandmother eventually released the snails into her garden. Seven years later, more than 18,000 snails had been found along with scores of eggs. The Florida State eradication program took 10 years at a cost of $1 million.”

The snails were found in Miami again in 2011, and officials are working to eradicate them.

The “highly invasive, slimy critters” also create a health risk to humans as they carry a parasitic nematode that can lead to meningitis, Customs and Border Protection says.

Because of their potential to wreak havoc, the USDA forbids owning or importing the snails.

“Oftentimes, travelers learn during their CBP arrivals inspection that something they purchased or collected overseas is prohibited from entering the United States,” Customs and Border Protection says. “Travelers can visit CBP’s Know Before You Go webpage before they travel overseas to learn which products are prohibited or restricted from the United States.”

The traveler with the snails, who flew from Ghana, also had 24 pounds of “prohibited ox tail, dried beef, turkey berry, carrot and medicinal leaves,” Customs and Border Protection says.

It’s not uncommon for officials to find invasive species in travelers’ bags.

“During a typical day last year, CBP agriculture specialists across the nation seized 3,091 prohibited plant, meat, animal byproducts, and soil, and intercepted 250 insect pests at U.S. ports of entry,” CBP says.