Hans Kurt Kubus Arrested for Smuggling 44 Lizards in Underwear

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sourced by Blaine Metzgar

Hans Kurt Kubus, a German man, was arrested while trying to board a plane in New Zealand for smuggling 44 lizards in a hand sewn package in his underwear. Kubus was sentenced to spend 14 weeks behind bars and to pay a $3,540 fine upon his release before he can return to Germany.

Kubus was attempting to board an overseas flight at Christchurch International Airport on South Island in December when he was apprehended by wildlife officials who discovered the hand-sewn package containing 44 lizards, skinks, and geckos in his underwear. The 58-year-old Kubus plead guilty to two charges under the Wildlife Act and five under the Trade in Endangered Species Act after admitting to hunting protected wildlife without authority and trading exploited species without a permit.

Kubus' customs records show that he has been in and out of New Zealand for the past few years: 2001, 2004, 2008, and 2009. He was even spotted with a Swiss reptile dealer in 2008.

According to Mike Bodie, a prosecutor for the Department of Conservation, Kubus could have been slapped with a $355,000 fine and upwards of six months in prison. Bodie explained that each gecko could have been worth $2,800 each in the European market and that the Department of Conservation pursued a deterrent sentence as Kubus' smuggling attempt was "the most serious case of its kind detected in New Zealand for a decade or more."

During the trial, District Court Judge Colin Doherty said to Kubus, "I don't think you necessarily came here to steal to sell, but I am sure the fact that you might have had excess was figured into your thinking."

Apparently lizard smuggling isn't as rare as one would believe, Michael Plank was arrested in November 2009 for strapping 15 lizards strapped to his chest at LAX.