TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police and Tokyo Customs have arrested a 23-year-old Mexican national after he attempted to smuggle hundreds of live lizards into Japan hidden in his luggage, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 12).
Daniel Isaac Velasco Baltazar, whose address and occupation are unknown, admitted to the allegations upon his arrest on suspicion of violating the Customs Act, telling investigators, “There is no mistake in the facts.”
Velasco Baltazar is accused of arriving at Haneda International Airport from South Korea on August 8 with nine live lizards stuffed into socks and concealed inside his suitcase, attempting to import the animals without the required authorization.
Anonymous tip-off
According to police, the nine reptiles specified in the charge are Green Arboreal Alligator Lizards, a species native to the mountainous regions of Mexico. The exotic lizards are highly popular among collectors and can fetch prices of approximately 100,000 yen each on the Japanese market.
Authorities were already waiting for him. In late July, police received an anonymous tip-off stating that a Mexican national was planning to smuggle lizards into the country to coincide with an upcoming reptile exhibition and sale. Acting on the information, customs officers were placed on high alert at the airport.
When investigators searched Velasco Baltazar’s suitcase, they made a startling discovery. In addition to the nine alligator lizards, authorities found a total of approximately 200 live lizards—all packed inside socks.
Police are continuing to investigate the full scope of the smuggling operation and how the reptiles were procured.
