Mexico City — Mexican authorities seized more than 7,000 turtles, tarantulas and cacti over the past three months, the federal environmental protection agency Profepa announced.
Between August and November 2026, the agency carried out 17 seizures at ten international airports across the country, El Sol de México reported. Inspectors also confiscated 145 kilograms of sea cucumber during the same period.
The operations took place at airport terminals, where Profepa personnel inspect cargo and passenger baggage for protected species and plants covered by Mexican wildlife trade rules.
The seizures underscore the scale of the illegal trade in wildlife and plants moving through Mexico’s international air hubs, where traffickers often conceal animals and specimens among ordinary luggage and commercial shipments.
The agency did not say whether anyone was detained in connection with the 17 operations, nor did it identify the airports involved.
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