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Australia arrests S. Korean official for alleged bird smuggling
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-04-08 10:26 Australian authorities have arrested a South
Korean man for allegedly trying to smuggle 19 protected birds out of the
country, Customs Minister Christopher Ellison said.
Ellison did not identify the 39-year-old man, who was caught at Sydney
airport Tuesday and faces up to 10 years in jail and a fine of 110,000 dollars
(83,000 US) if convicted of attempting to smuggle regulated wildlife.
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| Australian authorities have arrested a
South Korean man for allegedly trying to smuggle 19 protected birds out of
the country. According to Customs Minister Christopher Ellison, 10 finches
and nine parrots were found alive in small cardboard boxes in the man's
carry-on luggage as he tried to board a flight to Seoul.
[AFP/File] | But The Australian newspaper said the man was a senior official in the office
of South Korean Prime Minister Goh Kun who arrived in the country Sunday and
told customs agents he bought the birds at a pet shop for his personal
collection.
Ellison said 10 finches and nine parrots were found alive in small cardboard
boxes in the man's carry-on luggage as he tried to board a flight to Seoul.
Customs officers searched the luggage after receiving a telephone tip-off, he
said.
"Officers at the airport were then able to move quickly to thwart a cruel
attempt to smuggle unique and protected fauna out of Australia," he said.
The man's checked baggage contained bird cages, nets and literature on native
Australian birds, he said.
The South Korean appeared in a Sydney court on Wednesday and was released on
bail and told to return to court on Tuesday.
The 19 birds were taken to Sydney's Targona Zoo.
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