Exotic ‘crocodile head’ bag, leeches among illegal items seized at Dulles this month

STERLING, Va. - An exotic, three-dimensional crocodile head bag was among a number of unusual animal-related items seized by customs and wildlife agents at Dulles International Airport in January and February, officials said last week.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents, seized two crocodile-skin bags and a belt that a traveler from Ghana brought stateside in January. In early February, wildlife inspectors confirmed that the crocodile is an endangered species.

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And two weeks later, inspectors seized an ivory necklace that had been in the possession of a traveler from Ghana.

Most recently, a detector dog alerted agents to quince fruit carrying leeches in the bags of a man traveling from Turkey. They say importing leeches is a violation of endangered species laws.

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