A man coming from Germany was checked by Paris customs officers at the Gare de l'Est. In his socks, the individual had hidden around twenty live reptiles.
The specimens found in the luggage were placed in a specialized animal center, adapted to their needs. In 2022, customs intercepted 52,506 protected specimens, including 397 live animals, including 60 reptiles, 41 turtles, 137 birds, 10 snakes and 256 kilos of glass eels - baby eels threatened with extinction. Each year, wildlife trafficking generates enormous profits: between 8 and 20 billion euros.