26 November
Police plan to refer two men to prosecutors soon on suspicion of smuggling two rare perentie lizards into Japan and selling them to customers, investigative sources said Monday.
A 36-year-old pet shop owner from Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, and another man allegedly conspired to evade commercial import regulations on the species, which is protected under Appendix II of the Washington Convention, and sell the reptiles to two customers for around 6 million yen ($55,000) and 3.8 million yen, respectively.
At least one of the perentie lizards was transported by airplane from Hong Kong to Narita airport, east of Tokyo, in around 2017, with the two men suspected of using doctored paperwork to deceive customs authorities. They allegedly claimed to be transporting a different species that is not subject to the restrictions.
The police are also set to refer the two customers to prosecutors on suspicion of violating the customs law, as they were apparently aware that the lizards were brought into the country illegally, the sources said.
Amid a boom in demand for such creatures among Japan's pet lovers, smuggling cases have been on the rise as dealers seek to make lucrative sales.
The perentie, a monitor lizard native to Australia and popular due to its beautiful skin patterns, grows to approximately 2 meters in length. It is listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as the Washington Convention, in a category for species that may not face imminent extinction but whose trade is controlled so as to promote their long-term survival.
KYODO NEWS
