Lviv customs officers made an unusual discovery on April 25 at the Lviv-postal checkpoint. In a shipment headed from Kyiv to Wroclaw, Poland, customs officers found 2,580 live ants. Each insect was in a separate glass flask, and all the flasks were placed in a metal box, declared as a “remote control.”.
Lviv Customs reported this on its Facebook page.
The insect was discovered during an inspection using the RAPISCAN X-ray system. Inspection of the cargo revealed anomalous objects inside the box, which became the basis for a more detailed inspection.
When customs officers opened the package, they saw hundreds of small glass flasks with ants inside. It turned out that the cargo was being smuggled across the border covertly — without notifying customs and using means that made it difficult to detect the contents.
Transportation of ants in international express shipments is prohibited by current legislation. Violations are punishable under Articles 473 and 483 of the Customs Code of Ukraine. Upon detection of the violation, customs officers drew up a corresponding report.
At the moment, all the ants are in the warehouse under surveillance. Their further fate will be determined by the court after the case is considered. An examination is also planned to determine the species of insects.
The senders' motives remain unclear.
Incidentally, cases of illegal transportation of ants have occurred before. For example, on April 16, Reuters reported on an attempt to smuggle 5,000 queen ants into Kenya. The insects were planned to be sold in exotic animal markets in Europe and Asia.
