Osaka, Oct. 28 (Jiji Press)--The Osaka prefectural police arrested three men, including a 17-year-old local high school student, on Wednesday on suspicion of attempting to smuggle Indian star tortoises, a rare species, from Thailand into Japan.
The three also include Takayuki Fukushima, 57, a construction worker of Tondabayashi in the western Japan prefecture. International trade in the species is regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention.
According to the police, Fukushima asked the male student, who sold fish and newts via social media, to smuggle Indian star tortoises into Japan. The student bought the tortoises in Thailand and returned to Japan, but the animals were discovered during a baggage inspection at Osaka Customs.
The tortoises were wrapped in damp cardboard. Fukushima is believed to have intended to resell them at high prices. The travel expenses were paid by a 26-year-old man, who was also arrested.
The arrest warrants said that the three conspired to smuggle three Indian star tortoises and 13 crayfish from Thailand through Kansai International Airport on May 8.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
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