New Zealand customs officials look to have netted themselves an interesting haul after a Vietnamese national’s attempts to smuggle fish into the country on his person floundered.
The Vietnamese man was stopped by customs officials at Auckland airport after they noticed water dripping out of his pockets.
When questioned the man initially told officers that the water dripping from out of the bulging pockets of his cargo pants was merely from a bottle of water he had carried off the plane. His pathetic excuse didn’t hold up long to a thorough grilling from NZ customs officials however – who doesn’t love a good grilled fish? – and the marine animals in his pockets were soon discovered.
Having been caught, the Vietnamese man – who had flown in from Australia – admitted that he had been trying to bring the fish into the country for a friend of his.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), Craig Hughes, said that the man will face charges under the Biosecurity Act which could see him jailed for up to five years or face a $100,000 fine if found guilty.
“This appears to be a deliberate attempt to smuggle fish into the country without any consideration of the biosecurity risk involved,” he said in a statement, quoted by Yahoo.com.
“That’s something we take very seriously.”
I’ve groper-ed around, but i’m all out of fish puns.
Image: Getty
