Three live beetles being smuggled to Germany were seized in Philadelphia after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found them inside a package labeled as a “play toy,” officials said.
Officials said that officers inspected the outbound parcel on Aug. 18 after it was labeled as “4x play toy.” Instead, officers discovered three large live Chief Goliath beetles, a container containing beetle parts and two shadow boxes used to display insect specimens.
After seizing the package, officers submitted the live insects and photos of the beetle parts to entomologists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The entomologists identified the three live beetles as female Chief Goliath beetles, and the dead beetles as three stag beetles, officials said.
According to officials, Chief Goliath beetles are native to rainforests in Africa. Researchers also consider the beetles to be increasingly rare.
Exotic insects are highly popular among collectors and insect enthusiasts and are illegally sold through underground market, officials said.
Officers submitted their findings to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) wildlife inspectors, who requested that the shipment be seized as smuggled wildlife, officials said.
Live beetles are considered wildlife and require USFWS permits to import or export.
“The illegal trade of exotic pets brings hefty profits for those willing to risk destroying a wildlife species and violating U.S. laws and regulations. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists remain committed to intercepting these smuggling attempts and working with our conservation law enforcement partners at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to hunt down and hold smugglers accountable,” said Elliot Ortiz, CBP’s acting area port director in Philadelphia.
The live beetles were turned over to USDA. The remainder of the shipment was turned over to USFWS.
Now, officials said USFWS is investigating potential violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act for failure to declare commercial export of wildlife and trading in wildlife without a license.
