Customs officers have apprehended a tourist attempting to smuggle over a thousand live bees in his luggage.
Customs enforcement teams seized 1,240 live Carniolan bees (Apis mellifera carnica, Pollmann) during a routine luggage inspection at Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, 19th July.
The discovery was made when airport authorities conducted an x-ray scan of the luggage of a foreign tourist, whose name was not disclosed, drawing suspicion due to their behaviour.
The tourist reportedly had arrived from overseas.
A statement from the Directorate General of Customs Enforcement of Turkey, obtained by Newsflash, stated that a thorough examination of the luggage revealed 205 transparent boxes containing the valuable Carniolan bees.
To ensure their safety and protection, the bees were promptly handed over to the Pendik District Agriculture and Forestry Directorate as a precautionary measure.
Further investigations into the matter identified the bees as from the Carniolan bee breed, which demonstrates an exceptional ability to adapt to different environmental conditions.
Notably, these bees exhibit accelerated reproductive cycles during spring, resulting in higher yields of honey and pollen compared to other breeds.
This distinctive trait has made the Carniolan bees a lucrative target for smugglers seeking to profit from their attributes.
As the investigation continues at the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, there is no information available regarding the fate of the tourist at the time of writing.
