BRATISLAVA, April 4, (WEBNOVINY) — Customs officers in Michalovce have found 252 live parrots in two Ukrainian vehicles entering Slovakia at the Vysne Nemecke border crossing last Saturday. As Slovakia’s Customs Directorate spokeswoman Miroslava Slemenska said, 243 of the birds are from the endangered species list of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Their approximate administrative value is 9,370 euro.
The case will be further handled by the Customs Criminal Office. The two Ukrainian drivers claimed to have no goods to declare; however, the customs officers have inspected their vehicles and found and later seized 252 parrots which need to have a permission of the Ministry of Environment for transport. 25 other parrots, not listed on the CITES list, were also found.
SITA
