News / International
94kg of caterpillars seized at London airport
02 Mar 2013 at 11:52hrs | Views
London - British customs agents made a creepy discovery when an airline passenger was found with 94kg of caterpillars in his luggage.
The man claimed they were intended as food for personal consumption.
The UK Border Force said on Friday that inspectors at London's Gatwick Airport found the dried caterpillars shrink-wrapped in cellophane and packed into hessian bags carried by a passenger travelling from Burkina Faso via Istanbul.
The caterpillars were seized by authorities after the 23 February find because they breached restrictions on importing animal products.
The 22-year-old passenger was let off with a warning.
Border Force spokesperson Ingrid Smith said "the vigilance of our officers has stopped these dried insects from entering the UK, and possibly posing a risk to our food chain."
The man claimed they were intended as food for personal consumption.
The UK Border Force said on Friday that inspectors at London's Gatwick Airport found the dried caterpillars shrink-wrapped in cellophane and packed into hessian bags carried by a passenger travelling from Burkina Faso via Istanbul.
The 22-year-old passenger was let off with a warning.
Border Force spokesperson Ingrid Smith said "the vigilance of our officers has stopped these dried insects from entering the UK, and possibly posing a risk to our food chain."
Source - Sapa
