The customs officers of Perthus, on the border with Spain, made an astonishing discovery.
While checking a van registered in Spain, they discovered four live Mississippi alligators on board.
Contacted, an expert from the French Office for Biodiversity then went on site to verify and confirmed that these were indeed animals protected by the Washington Convention on endangered species.
Their transport and detention required permits.
The two men had no proof.
Both were handed over to the gendarmerie of Pollestres, in the Pyrénées-Orientales.
The four reptiles, for their part, were returned to the crocodile farm, located in Pierrelatte, in the Drôme.
Animals are alive and healthy.
“In 2021, at the national level, customs made 371 observations relating to the protection of endangered species”, explain the customs representatives.
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