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.
