'Strange smell' tips officials off to illegal snails in luggage at Detroit airport

Customs and Border Protection officials in Detroit stopped a slimy cargo from messing up American crops last month. 

Officials conducting a secondary baggage screening found 90 Giant African Land Snails in the luggage of a passenger arriving from Ghana. According to a news release from CBP, there was a “strange smell” emanating from the traveler’s baggage that caught a specialist’s attention.

The passenger declared other prohibited items including beef skins and fresh peppers, but did not mention the snails prior to inspection.