Japan arrests Mexican traveller after 200 lizards found hidden in socks at Tokyo airport

Japanese authorities apprehended a 23-year-old Mexican national at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, following the discovery of approximately 200 lizards hidden within 22 pairs of socks and garments inside his luggage. The individual, Daniel Isaac Velasco Baltazar, had just arrived in Japan from South Korea when customs officials conducted a search of his belongings upon receiving an anonymous tip regarding potential reptile smuggling.

One of the lizards was discovered deceased, while the suspect confessed to importing the creatures without the necessary permits. Authorities confirmed that preliminary investigations identified nine of the reptiles as Mexican alligator lizards (Abronia graminea), a species classified as endangered and protected by international trade regulations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The genus is subject to stringent controls on its trade due to its vulnerable status. Police revealed that the suspect had acquired the lizards in Mexico for a price ranging between 560 and 750 yen each. Some species of these lizards can command prices upwards of 100,000 yen ($640) in Japan's market. Investigators suspect that the reptiles were intended for display and sale purposes, and they are currently working to determine the exact species of the remaining lizards.

This incident underscores the ongoing issue of illegal international trade in rare and endangered wildlife.