Cross-border trafficking to the US also takes place as passport holders come to the US to sell exotic animals.
A man arrived at the airport in Mexico City and upon showing his passport, looked very nervous. The reason he looked so nervous had nothing to do with his passport, but it was because tucked under his sweater, were 18 little monkeys the man was trying to smuggle.
The species of the titi monkeys are on the international endangered list and fetch an average of about $1,000 each on the black market.
The man confessed to using his Mexican passport to travel to Peru where he bought the monkeys for about $30 each.
He was arrested for violating Mexico’s restrictions on importing primates and placed in custody. Mexico is a key trading post for the cross-border sale of illegal wildlife as many smugglers use their passports to visit countries where endangered wildlife can be purchased.
In South America, there is a long tradition of people keeping wild animals such as parrots, lizards, reptiles, tarantulas and even white lions as pets.
Cross-border trafficking to the US also takes place as passport holders come to the US to sell exotic animals.
Other places in which Mexican passport holders traffic illegal wildlife include South and Central America, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia.
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