Trichy Customs Foil Major Turtle Smuggling Attempt

Customs officers at Trichy and Chennai airports intercepted major smuggling attempts, seizing thousands of turtles hidden in luggage from Kuala Lumpur. The endangered species were smuggled in violation of international trade conventions, leading to multiple arrests under customs law.

In a significant operation at Trichy Airport, officers from the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted a major turtle smuggling attempt, seizing 2,447 live turtles brought by a passenger arriving from Kuala Lumpur. Trichy Customs officials reported that the turtles were concealed in the passenger's checked luggage, discovered through intelligence leads.

Previously, the Customs Department and the AIU in Chennai thwarted a similar smuggling effort involving two species of turtles. During an October operation, Chennai customs officials intercepted 4,967 red-eared slider turtles and 19 albino red-eared sliders from two passengers also arriving from Kuala Lumpur.

According to a social media update by the customs department, on September 27, 2024, the Chennai AIU seized substantial numbers of these turtles, arresting the involved passengers and receivers under the Customs Act, 1962. The illegal trade of these endangered species violates the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and customs authorities persist in battling the illegal wildlife trade.

(With inputs from agencies.)