smuggling

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Authorities: Woman Tried to Smuggle Turtles by Kayak

China's Wan Yee Ng, 41, was attempting to cross a Vermont lake into Canada, per Border Patrol

(Newser) - A woman from China pleaded guilty on Friday to attempting to smuggle 29 eastern box turtles, a protected species, across a Vermont lake into Canada by kayak. The AP reports that Wan Yee Ng, 41, was arrested on the morning of June 28 at an Airbnb in Canaan, Vermont, as...

CBP Probably Didn't Expect to Find This Much Bologna

Officers in Texas say woman coming from Mexico had 750 pounds' worth of meat in car, plus drugs

(Newser) - When officials inspected the bags of a woman crossing over from Mexico into Texas earlier this week, they noticed her suitcases seemed to be heavier than they should. They soon found out why: Customs and Border Protection says that when they opened up the bags in the GMC Yukon at...

Report: Museum Curator Busted With 1.5K Dead Spiders, Scorpions

American Museum of Natural History's Lorenzo Prendini was detained at the airport in Istanbul

(Newser) - A curator at the American Museum of Natural History was detained in Istanbul while allegedly attempting to smuggle spider and scorpion samples, Turkish media reported. The curator said he had permits from the government to conduct his research. Lorenzo Prendini, an expert on arachnids at the New York-based museum, was...

Feds: Flight Attendants Smuggled $8M in Drug Money

They allegedly abused access to fast lane at JFK Airport

(Newser) - Four flight attendants who worked on routes to the Dominican Republic from New York's JFK Airport allegedly abused their easy route through security by smuggling millions of dollars to the Caribbean country. Federal prosecutors say the flight attendants had access to the Known Crewmember fast lane, which allowed them...

Smuggling Greenhouse Gases Is Now a Thing

Michael Hart is first in US to be hit with such a charge after alleged transport of HFCs from Mexico

(Newser) - A Southern California man was arrested Monday on suspicion of smuggling refrigerants into the US from Mexico, and federal prosecutors said he's the first person to be charged with violating regulations intended to curb the use of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The indictment alleges Michael Hart...

Smuggling of Rare Butterflies Doesn't End Well for NY Man

Long Island man who labeled rare insects as 'wall decorations' pleads guilty

(Newser) - A Long Island man has pleaded guilty to illegally trafficking bird-wing butterflies and other rare insects, according to a plea deal filed in Brooklyn federal court. Charles Limmer, 75, of Commack, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to smuggle wildlife into the country and agreed to pay a $30,...

Lawyer Accused of Bringing More Than Papers to Jail

Ronald Lewis, 77, is accused of smuggling drug-laced documents to inmates in Texas facility

(Newser) - A good attorney will have your back as you navigate all the legalities of your case. An even better attorney knows that "having your back" doesn't translate to sneaking narcotics into the facility where you're incarcerated. That's exactly what lawyer Ronald Henry Lewis is accused of...

Pair Accused of Trafficking Sea Cucumbers Could Get 25 Years

Zunyu Zhao, Xionwei Xiao plead guilty to illegal importation of endangered species worth $10K

(Newser) - Wildlife traffickers pleaded guilty this week in federal court in California to illegally importing endangered sea cucumbers—which are prized in China for food and medicine and as a reputed aphrodisiac—from Mexico. Zunyu Zhao and Xionwei Xiao were charged with conspiracy and illegal importation of brown sea cucumbers worth...

Feds: Smuggler Stashed Pythons in His Pants

He was caught after crossing Canadian border

(Newser) - A New York City man has been hit with a federal smuggling charge, more than four years after authorities said he was caught with pythons in his pants. Authorities say Calvin Bautista, 36, tried to smuggle three Burmese pythons into the US on a bus from Canada but was caught...

980-Foot Vodka Pipeline Led to Man's Home

Officials in Ukraine say it was used to smuggle cheap alcohol across border

(Newser) - The war in Ukraine apparently hasn't put bootleggers out of business. Authorities say border officials patrolling near Podislk in southwest Ukraine found a 980-foot vodka pipeline that was being used to smuggle booze from the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdinistria, Vice reports. The "polyethlene pipe stretched from the...

Airport Officials Find Huge Cache of Animals in Luggage

Seizure is just one example of a widespread problem

(Newser) - Officials in Thailand say they arrested two women who were attempting to smuggle more than 100 live animals in their luggage. Per the Washington Post, the animals were detected during an X-ray scan at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, where the women were attempting to board a flight to India. The cache...

Authorities Charge Siblings in Reptile Smuggling Scheme

30-year-old Calif. man caught at Mexican border allegedly smuggled 1.7K creatures since 2016

(Newser) - A California man who allegedly tried to cross into the US from Mexico last month with dozens of reptiles crammed under his clothing has been charged, and authorities say he was involved in a yearslong scheme. Per NBC San Diego , 30-year-old Jose Manuel Perez, aka Julio Rodriguez, is accused of...

All These Snakes Were Under and in a Man's Clothes

30-year-old US citizen was arrested at the California-Mexico border

(Newser) - A man who tried to slither past US border agents in California had 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing, authorities said Tuesday. The man was driving a truck when he arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico on Feb. 25 and was pulled out for additional...

Guy Tries to Smuggle 2 Men Into US in Coffin

Suspicious Border Patrol agents found men, alive, inside

(Newser) - Zachary Taylor Blood, 33, arrived at a Border Patrol checkpoint near the US-Mexico border with an American flag-draped coffin in the back of his van Oct. 26. When asked what he had, he replied, "Dead guy, Navy guy." The agent, who is a military veteran, got suspicious, however,...

Cops: Man Tried to Illegally Sell 'Exceptional Work of Art' for $120K

Greek police believe 5th-century BC statue was taken from temple on or near Acropolis

(Newser) - A man has been arrested on suspicion of antiquities smuggling for trying to sell an ancient marble statue of "exceptional artwork" that once likely adorned a temple on Athens' famed Acropolis or the slopes around it, Greek authorities said Friday. Police said the fifth-century BC statue was recovered following...

US Turns Over 2 Americans in Smuggling of Nissan Boss

Father and son tried to avoid extradition in Carlos Ghosn case

(Newser) - An American father and son wanted by Japan for helping former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn escape from the country in a box were handed over to Japanese custody Monday, ending their monthslong battle to stay in the US. Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, failed to persuade US officials...

'Sophisticated' Border Tunnel Stuns Officials

It has ventilation, water, electrical, you name it

(Newser) - An incomplete tunnel found stretching from Mexico to Arizona appears to be "the most sophisticated tunnel in US history," authorities said. The tunnel intended for smuggling ran from a neighborhood in San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico, to San Luis, Arizona, where it stopped short of reaching the...

Shark Fins Worth Up to $1M Seized in Florida

That's about 1.4K pounds, found hidden in about 18 boxes

(Newser) - Stowed away in 18 boxes in a ship that arrived at the Miami Port of Entry Jan. 24: About 1,400 pounds of shark fins, worth as much as $1 million. Officials say the dried fins were hidden among other "non-protected" and "non-regulated" species, the Miami Herald reports....

Authorities Stunned by Border Smuggling Tunnel

It is the longest ever found

(Newser) - US authorities on Wednesday announced the discovery of the longest smuggling tunnel ever found on the Southwest border, stretching more than three-quarters of a mile from an industrial site in Tijuana, Mexico, to the San Diego area. The tunnel featured an extensive rail cart system, forced air ventilation, high voltage...

Flight Attendant Tells Customs He Has $100. It Was $9K

4 American Airlines flight attendants accused of smuggling $22K in cash into Miami

(Newser) - Four American Airlines flight attendants have been arrested on money laundering charges after police say they flew into Miami with more than $22,000 in cash. Carlos Alberto Munoz-Moyano was the first to be checked by customs at Miami International Airport after departing the flight from Santiago, Chile, on Monday....

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser