Traveler Caught Smuggling 200 Lizards Hidden in Socks at Haneda Airport

On Wednesday, Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrest of a 23-year-old Mexican man, Daniel Isaac Velasco Baltazar, for attempting to smuggle around 200 lizards into Japan from South Korea on August 8. The reptiles, including nine arboreal alligator lizards, were concealed within socks in a suitcase. One lizard perished during the attempt.

The suspect is accused of breaching Japan's Customs Act by attempting to bring the lizards through Haneda Airport without the necessary government authorization. These lizards, endemic to the highlands of Mexico, require government permission for import, a stipulation enforced under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Tokyo police had received an anonymous tip in late July concerning the planned smuggling operation. During questioning, Baltazar admitted to purchasing the lizards in Mexico for between $3 and $5 each. This incident is not an isolated case, with similar attempts to smuggle exotic animals into Japan documented. In 2019, a Japanese woman was arrested at Melbourne Airport with 17 shingleback lizards and two blue-tongued lizards in her luggage en route to Tokyo.

Prior to that, Japanese nationals in Sydney and Perth had also been arrested for attempting to smuggle native Australian reptiles. Australian authorities have intercepted lizards mailed to Japan, and in 2023, dozens of lizards and a turtle were found concealed in socks within postal packages destined for the country. A 2025 WWF Japan report revealed that Japan ranks among the world's top five importers for six of nine reptile species, indicating a significant demand for exotic reptiles that extends beyond the documented smuggling cases.