U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 14 giant African land snails from a traveler from Ghana at Washington Dulles International Airport, the agency said Thursday.
The snails are an invasive species that can cause major damage to crops and are illegal to possess in the United States.
The traveler declared the snails when asked if he was carrying an agriculture or live products, so he was not fined or charged, CBP spokesman Stephen Sapp wrote in an e-mail.
The snails, which were about the size of a child’s fist, have been killed.
