How a slime trail led German customs officials to a stash of giant snails

Customs officials in the German city of Dusseldorf very ingeniously discovered a stash of 100 giant African land snails hidden inside bags at the airport. How? They just followed the slime.

This happened at the Dusseldorf Airport earlier this month. The officials spotted one of the snails, 20 cms long, perched on a baggage truck and thought it was a toy until it started moving.

They then followed the slime trail of the gastropod and arrived at a bag with a hole. When they reached it another snail was gettiing ready to crawl to freedom.


In total, officials found six bags containing 93 giant snails. They had been imported from Nigeria and were meant for an African goods store in western Germany.

The Giant African land snail, or Lissachatina fulica, is considered a significant cause of pest issues around the world. Across the world, it is the most frequently occurring invasive species of snail.

The Giant African land snail feeds voraciously and is a vector for plant pathogens, causing severe damage to agricultural crops and native plants. They can even damage buildings by feeding on some construction materials for calcium.

It is native to East Africa, but it has been widely introduced to other parts of the world as a pet and as a food. This snail can thrive in many types of habitat in areas with mild climates.

Adult snails can grow upto 20 cms in length and have a typically brown conical shell.

Smuggling of these snails for food and as folk medicine is very common. Officials in the US routinely check for the species in the luggage of travelers from West Africa, Nigeria particularly, Ghana, and Cameroon.

The snails were handed to an animal rescue service in Duesseldorf. The statement by the Duesseldorf customs office said it was the first time a trail of slime led them to smuggled goods.