CBP officers find more than toys inside shipment from Spain

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - A shipment of toys were found to have a little more than meets the eye inside them when they arrived at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Cincinnati Port.

On Nov. 17, a shipment from Barcelona, Spain had plastic toys inside them, but that wasn’t all, according to CBP officials.

Praying mantis egg cases were found concealed inside the package of one of the toys, CBP says.

Mantid smuggling is nothing new, and CBP says more and more of the instances are happening lately. It even happened in Cincinnati earlier this year when CBP officers found live mantids and egg cases, officials say.

“Wildlife trafficking is a serious crime that impacts a variety of species throughout the world,” said Aurelia Skipwith, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “In this case, mantis eggs were illegally smuggled and hidden in a box of toys. Fortunately, our partners at USDA APHIS apprehended the package and worked closely with our Wildlife Inspectors to seize the shipment. I would like to thank the USDA and CBP for their assistance with this case. Together, we can conserve species - and protect our nation’s natural resources - for future generations.”

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