Airport officials make disturbing discovery in passenger's luggage: 'Specific intelligence'

In late October, customs officials in Mumbai, India, intercepted the illegal smuggling of endangered wildlife and narcotic substances at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

What's happening?

A passenger arriving from Bangkok on a flight was pulled aside by Mumbai customs officials for a thorough search, the latter acting on "specific intelligence," according to Mid-Day. The officials found an appalling sight when they searched the passenger's checked bag. 

Hidden inside a basket in the trolley bag were two endangered silvery gibbons, which are small apes native to the island of Java, Indonesia. One gibbon was found deceased, while the other appeared visibly distressed. 

In a video shared to the social platform X, the Mumbai customs department (@MumbaiCus3) showed the remaining live gibbon cradled in the arms of a customs official, instinctively using its arm to cover its face while it hooted with increasing distress. 

In the same post, the department proudly showed off a large bag of hydroponic weed, weighing 7.97 kilograms, or 17.5 pounds, that they had confiscated from another passenger, who also arrived from Bangkok but on a separate flight. According to Mid-Day, the confiscated weed is valued at approximately 7.97 crore rupees, or about $900,000, on the illicit market.

In a separate bust, Mumbai customs officials seized 12.42 kilograms (27.4 pounds) of hydroponic weed from three separate groups of passengers arriving from Bangkok over four days. The weed collectively was valued at Rs 12.4 crore, or approximately $1.4 million. 

Why is illegal wildlife trafficking important?

The danger and trauma that wildlife endure while undergoing illegal wildlife trafficking are impossible to ignore. They are sometimes stuffed, crammed, and confined in small spaces like luggage, shoes, small containers, or even drugged and taped to the trafficker's body, as Thai authorities found in a recent illegal bust.

Trafficked wildlife often experience injuries or even death. Premature deaths deplete already vulnerable populations of endangered wildlife species. 

If they miraculously survive the inhumane transport conditions and enter new countries undetected, trafficked wildlife becomes an invasive species that can threaten local ecosystems. Invasive species tend to have few natural predators in their new environments, allowing them to outcompete native species for resources and to overtake native habitats. 

Zebra mussels, for example, which originate from Eurasia, have invaded waterways in the United States, impacting the food supply for native species as well as clogging and impairing water systems, resulting in costly repairs. 

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The invasive spotted lanternfly, originally from Asia, has made its way into grape-producing states, threatening an $85 billion wine industry. 

What's being done about illegal wildlife trafficking?

Illegal wildlife trafficking happens across international boundaries and thus requires global cooperation

For the past 50 years, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international treaty among 185 signatories, has regulated the trading of wildlife. Through a strict permit system based on a species' risk level, CITES has tightly managed the trade of wildlife species in a way that makes trades legal, sustainable, and traceable. 

CITES has prevented some endangered species from becoming extinct, allowing them to rebound in population.

Countries may also have additional regulations protecting endangered species.

In the United States, the Endangered Species Act, enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, protects threatened and endangered plants and animals by prohibiting the "take" of at-risk species and supports recovery efforts.

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