Trail of Slime Leads Customs Officials to Bags of Giant Snails

By The Associated Press September 16, 2022 at 5:12am

German customs officials say a trail of slime led them to a stash of almost 100 giant African land snails and other items hidden inside bags at Duesseldorf Airport this month.

In a statement Friday, authorities said officials stumbled over one of the snails on a baggage truck and initially thought it was a toy until it started moving.

#Osterferien in #NRW: Der #dusairport erwartet rund 800.000 Fluggäste. Gemeinsam mit seinen Partnern hat sich der Airport intensiv auf seine Gäste vorbereitet➡️ https://t.co/RhkT8b9z8W pic.twitter.com/QOtg1QvAzM

— Düsseldorf Airport (@dusairport) April 8, 2022

By following the trail left by the 20-centimeter (8-inch) snail, they found a bag with a hole, with another snail already peeping out of it — possibly preparing a dash for freedom.

In total, officials found six bags containing 93 giant snails, 28 kilograms (62 pounds) of fish and smoked meat, and a suitcase full of rotting meat.

All had been imported from Nigeria and were destined for an African goods store in western Germany.

Snail trail: German customs officials say a trail of slime led them to a stash of giant African snails hidden in bags at the airport. Officials found six bags with 93 giant snails, 62 pounds of fish and smoked meat, and a suitcase full of rotting meat. https://t.co/LQbziu2JIi

— AP Oddities (@AP_Oddities) September 16, 2022

The snails were handed to an animal rescue service in Duesseldorf and the meat was destroyed, customs officials said.

“Never in the history of the Duesseldorf customs office has a trail of slime led us to smuggled goods,” said its spokesman Michael Walk.

The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.

Submit a Correction →

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:

Animals, Germany, Travel, WJ Wire, World news

The Associated Press

SummaryMore Biographical InformationRecent PostsContact

The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter

@AP

Facebook

The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.

Location

New York City