‘Slimy, slithering’ creatures found in shipment headed to US, feds say. What are they?
A slimy surprise was in store for Pennsylvania U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents when they opened inconspicuous cargo shipments.
The six shipments were headed to Florida, Illinois and Connecticut before the Philadelphia officials intervened in late February, a CBP news release said.
The shipments all arrived from Bulgaria during the last week of the month, and held nine plastic jars, the release said.
Inside the jars were hundreds of slithering leeches that are used in medical bloodletting treatment, the release said.
Officials said the 300 bloodsuckers are illegal under the Endangered Species Act, which does not allow unlicensed import of exotic wildlife.
“Customs and Border Protection officers and agriculture specialists often encounter unique and interesting things, like this jar full of icky bloodsuckers, while inspecting goods being imported to the United States,” Joseph Martella, CBP’s Area Port Director in Philadelphia, said in the release. “CBP officers remain committed to collaborating with federal, state and local law enforcement partners to intercept shipments that violate our nation’s laws and potentially threaten harm to our nation’s citizens and our economy.”
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