Smuggling scheme foiled: Officials save baby turtles crammed in envelope

People try to smuggle the usual things into Canada. Drugs, guns, jewels, illegal workers. But Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) seems to be dealing with a rash of turtle smugglers lately. The agency recently announced that it intercepted a shipment of 11 baby turtles bound for Calgary.

“On August 8, 11 baby turtles were saved from a shipment destined to Calgary. Officers were suspicious the envelope did not contain a book as declared. The turtles measured 1.5 inches in diameter and were donated to the Calgary Zoo,” the government said in a news release.

The Calgary Zoo later took to Twitter to clarify its involvement: “We only cared for the turtles for a few days until Enviro Can Wildlife Enforcement Officers took them into care.”

Last month, border guards subverted another turtle trick. They noticed a man with odd bulges in his sweatpants as he was trying to enter Canada via Detroit. Officials soon found 41 turtles taped to his legs and another 10 hidden between his legs.

The Calgary Herald, meanwhile, has compiled a fairly bizarre list of other turtle smuggling capers ranging from pretending turtles were burgers, packed as other foods and shipped on boats.

Photo Canada Border Services Agency

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Recovering newspaper reporter.

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