Airport Officials Find Nearly 100 Giant Snails in Passenger's Bag

When flying into the U.S. from another country, it's crucial to abide by laws prohibiting the import of invasive species of animals and even fruits and vegetables. Officials at Detroit Metropolitan Airport recently picked up quite an interesting find from a passenger who violated the rules. 

According to CBS Detroit, customs agents at the Detroit airport recently discovered 90 giant African land snails in a traveler's bag. The flyer had arrived from Ghana and declared that their luggage contained fresh food items, prompting a second inspection by officials. While going through the suitcase, they found a bag that was seemingly giving off a strange smell. 

"During the baggage inspection, a tied, woven bag with an odd odor caught the attention of agriculture specialists," a U.S. Customs and Border Protection statement said, per ABC News. "Inside the bag were giant African land snails ranging from 3 to 6 inches in length. Prior to the luggage being opened, the passenger began declaring other prohibited items, such as beef skin and fresh peppers, but there was no mention of the snails, which are considered an invasive species in the U.S."

The snails were meant to be eaten, as is customary in countries around the world. Still, they had to be confiscated because the invasive species can eat many different kinds of plants if they get out into the environment and "cause structural damage by using stucco on houses to meet their calcium requirement for shell growth," according to customs agents. 

It's not the first time live snails have been found in passenger bags at the Detroit airport. Back in March 2023, another traveler arriving from Ghana also brought in some giant African land snails through the transportation hub. 

If you want to consume some of these slimy mollusks as a meal, you'll probably have to go to Africa to get some yourself.