OSAKA - A high school student and two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle rare tortoises and other animals from Thailand in violation of the Customs Act, police said Wednesday.
A 17-year-old student from Osaka Prefecture traveled to Thailand following instructions from 57-year-old Takayuki Fukushima, also from the prefecture, and purchased the animals there. The third suspect, Sotaro Yamazaki, 26, who resides in Tokyo, provided the travel expenses, according to the police.
They allegedly conspired to smuggle three Indian star tortoises, which are regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, 13 crayfish classified as specified invasive species and three snakehead fish from Thailand in May.
According to the police, the high school student, who met Fukushima on social media, attempted to bring the animals into Japan by plane inside a suitcase, but they were discovered by customs officials at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture. The tortoises were wrapped in wet cardboard.
The student, who has not been named because he is a minor, had been selling fish through social media for some time. Police believe he obtained the tortoises at Fukushima's request for resale.
The police also arrested Fukushima on suspicion of selling a rare spotted pond turtle, in violation of the Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention, regulates international trade in wild animals and plants that require protection to prevent species extinction.
