10 Of The Weirdest Ways Ever Used To Smuggle Goods

It's as clear as day- smuggling, in all forms, is wrong. And businesses know that, when they import or export goods, they pay indirectly towards the cost of operating a regime of checks designed to help track down smuggled goods and find the perpetrators.

Notwithstanding the heavy emphasis which is placed on intelligence and detection of smuggling crimes, people – and it has to be said, some businesses too – will try to use a huge variety of means to get goods into a country undetected, and without having to pay the appropriate charges and duties in the process.

Most of the strongest restrictions which are in place surrounding the movement of goods across international borders are in place around the import and export of drugs, foodstuffs and animals.

Countries put strong restrictions in place on the importation of such products for obvious reasons of protecting the health and well-being of their citizens.

Yet this creates a 'black market' which means that anyone tempted to smuggle such goods into a country could – if they get away with it – make substantial gains.

And if a perpetrator was to try to use a legitimate means to transport their booty, they would be likely to be picked up very quickly by carriers' or receiver’s own security procedures according to this article by courier service Parcel2Go.

Here, then, are some instances of the great lengths to which people will go to try to smuggle goods and evade customs officials:

1. Real-life 'snakes on a plane': A man tried to conceal 44 snakes and lizards on a flight from Australia to Bangkok for sale on the black market, but the hoard, including some venomous snakes, was spotted before he got airborne.

2. Spicing things up: A woman's attempt to conceal a consignment of spicy sausage in babies' nappies as she crossed from Mexico into the United States failed after officials got wind of the unusually chunky nappies and intercepted dozens of chorizo.

3. That won't fly: Customs officers intercepted an Australian man trying to smuggle two pigeons by putting them in padded envelopes, then donning a pair of tights under his trousers to try to keep them in place.

4. Dead man tells no tales: Included in a list of items which New York state customs officials divulged that they had seized from travellers was a dead body, which was disguised and being transported in a wheelchair. Apparently, the dead man's relatives were trying to avoid paying fees for the return of the body to its home for burial.

5. What's that smell?: Aware that their intended consignment of live reptiles might be sniffed out by the authorities, a gang packed 800 turtles and more than 150 rare and protected species of snake beneath crates of garlic – but Malaysian customs officials still got wise to the scheme.

6. Tightly-packed passengers: The border crossing between Mexico and the US is renowned as the one which people most often try to cross incognito. But when they noticed something suspicious poking out of a car's glove compartment, they never expected to find a nine-stone woman!

7. Something fishy: Keeping tropical fish is a worldwide pastime – but their movement across borders is tightly controlled. So when a Melbourne airport customs team heard what sounded like something swimming around a man's body, they dived in – and found more than 50 live tropical fish.

8. Making a slow getaway: Seven tortoises were found in the luggage of a British couple at London Stansted Airport as they returned from a holiday on Corfu. The illicit trade in the animals can often help passengers pay their travel costs, noted Womansday.com.

9. A bad egg (or 52): A holidaymaker travelling through Australian customs was found trying to hide 52 parrot's eggs in a purpose-made vest with small compartments. And again, as controlled species, the perpetrator was jailed for the offence.

10. A proper nana: Also in Australia, Sydney's crack customs squad intercepted a woman attempting to bring three live banana plants into the country. She too received a heavy fine under laws which strictly control plant imports, and apply worldwide in many different forms.