By Tim Binnall
A traveler hoping to sneak several mummified monkeys into the United States saw their plan fall apart thanks to an alert customs canine that sniffed out the strange scheme. Detailing the odd incident in a recent press release, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) explained that the bust occurred in early January at Boston's Logan Airport when an unnamed passenger arrived from a trip to the Congo. As the traveler went through the customary airport checkpoint with his luggage, a CBP canine named Buddey detected something unusual and drew the attention of its handler to one particular bag.
When agents questioned the passenger, he claimed that the luggage merely contained dried fish and, when the bag was x-rayed, his story seemed to be on the level. However, trusting Buddey's well-trained nose, authorities opted to open the questionable parcel anyway and discovered the mummified remains of four monkeys which were seemingly intended for consumption. According to the Associated Press, the busted passenger insisted that he planned to eat the proverbial primate jerky himself, but this did not make his smuggling attempt any less illegal. That said, the traveler managed to somehow avoid being charged with any crime, though they did lose all nine pounds of the 'bushmeat' which was subsequently sent to the CDC for destruction.