Giant African Snails Seized At JFK Airport: Dangerous Species Can Cause Meningitis

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at John F. Kennedy International Airport have seized 22 Giant African Snails and other prohibited items found in the luggage of a man returning from Ghana.

The incident took place on Sunday when officials were examining the man’s belongings, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at JFK airport discovered the dangerous snail species along with around 24 pounds of turkey berry, oxtail, dried beef, medicinal leaves, and other medicinal plant and spice products.

The USDA considers the Giant African Snail one of the most damaging snails in the world due to its consumption of around 500 types of plants. Its diet can ruin tropical and sub-tropical environments, and the snails can produce an estimated 1,200 eggs per year.

The highly invasive Giant African Snail also poses serious health risks to people because of its parasitic nematode, which can cause meningitis and rat lungworm in humans.

“Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists are our nation’s frontline defenders against invasive plant and animal pests that threaten our agricultural resources, and they face this complex and challenging mission with extraordinary commitment and vigilance,” said Marty C. Raybon, the NY CBP acting director of field operations, said in a statement.

A CBP spokesperson revealed the traveler did not face criminal charges since he declared the snails, The Gothamist reports. The Giant African Snails were later released to the USDA.

Giant African Snails were first found in Florida in the 1960s before being eradicated 10 years later. However, they were reintroduced in September 2011 in Miami.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have since teamed up to eliminate the damaging species.