The weirdest items found in hand luggage

Recently at Glasgow airport, 36 giant African land snails were found in the luggage of a gentleman from Nigeria by UK Border Force officers.

The man claimed that they were being brought in for food when he flew in from Amsterdam.

These snails which averaged about 15cm long and their shells were the size of a human fist !!!! Is our world famous Irn-bru and our Scottish shortbread not enough for him?

It made me wonder, what on earth did other people try to sneak through customs in their luggage? I have found some weird and wonderful stories which I will summarise below:

Wales:

A passenger at Cardiff airport tried to sneak a turkey in his hand luggage on a plane - a 10-pound uncooked frozen turkey. The passenger was "quite puzzled" when his frozen bird was removed from his hand luggage and supposedly asking officers "Why are you making a fuss - will it thaw at 30,000 feet?"   He had packed the bird because he was concerned he couldn't find a turkey for his holiday meal in Spain.  

Sweden:

A woman in Stockholm, Sweden, was arrested trying to smuggle 75 live snakes in her bra, according to research by the online travel agent www.sunshine.co.uk. Officials became suspicious when they spotted the woman repeatedly scratching her chest. Clearly they were either very small snakes, or the lady in question was wearing a very large bra.

Switzerland:

Security staff found more than 33 pounds (15kg) of the insects in a hidden compartment of his suitcase Photo: ALAMY

A man arriving from Togo, was stopped and searched at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Frieburg, four miles from the Swiss city of Basel, where airport staff found more than 33 pounds (15kg) of caterpillers in a hidden compartment of his suitcase. When confronted about the discovery, the man is reported to have eaten as many as he could, to prove they were harmless.

Thailand:

A Thai woman was arrested for packing a baby tiger cub in her checked luggage.

According to ABC News, the woman was attempting to smuggle the cub (which had been drugged and “hidden” among a bunch of stuffed tigers inside her suitcase) into Iran, where it could have been sold for a tidy profit on the black market.

Fortunately, I have never had anything confiscated at the airport in my luggage that should not have been there.

Have you ?