Smuggling Tropical Fish

The Reuters news agency reported that in June 2005 an Australian woman was arrested for attempting to import banned tropical marine life. Customs officials became suspicious when they heard “flipping” noises coming from underneath her skirt as she arrived at Melbourne airport.

On further examination, they discovered that the woman had strapped on an apron of plastic water-filled bags containing 51 live tropical fish.

A statement from the Australian Customs Service said that “During the search, Customs officers became suspicious after hearing ‘flipping’ noises coming from the vicinity of her waist”.

Smuggling Snakes

In Stockholm, Sweden, customs officers arrested a woman who had tried to smuggle 75 live snakes in her bra. The officers became suspicious when they noticed how the woman kept scratching her chest.

Cocaine Bananas

Customs officials in Miami became suspicious whilst inspecting a shipment of plantains. Some of the green bananas seemed unusually hard. Upon cutting them open, the officers discovered over 750 pounds of cocaine stuffed inside.

The smugglers had molded the plantains out of glass fiber, filled them with cocaine and painted them to look like the real fruit. The culprits painstakingly scattered the fakes throughout 1,080 boxes of genuine plantains shipped from Ecuador to the Port of Miami.

(Funny Customs New s )

Task 3. Retell these unusual stories as if you were a customs officer and witnessed these situations.

Useful Vocabulary