Everyone has a list of travel essentials, and sometimes travelers need to get creative with storage. But customs officers inspecting a traveler’s suitcase at a Tokyo airport found considerably more than clothes and toiletries inside. Authorities say approximately 200 lizards had been packed into 22 pairs of socks.
The discovery was made at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Aug. 8 after 23-year-old Mexican national Daniel Isaac Velasco Baltazar arrived on a flight from South Korea.
According to Nippon.com, citing Jiji Press, police accused Baltazar of attempting to bring the reptiles into Japan without declaring them to customs. The Independent reports that Baltazar admitted to importing the animals without permission.
Among the approximately 200 reptiles were nine Mexican alligator lizards, a species whose international trade is restricted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. Fox News reports that one of the lizards was already dead when authorities opened the suitcase.
Customs Officers Found Lizards Packed Into 22 Pairs Of Socks
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Tokyo Customs officers found approximately 200 lizards packed into 22 pairs of socks inside Baltazar’s luggage. According to Nippon.com, police said customs officers discovered the animals while inspecting his suitcase at Haneda Airport.
Authorities were reportedly already watching for the traveler before he arrived. The Independent reports that Tokyo police received an anonymous tip in late July claiming that a Mexican national planned to smuggle lizards into Japan ahead of a reptile exhibition and sale.
Baltazar allegedly told investigators that he had purchased the lizards in Mexico for about 560 to 750 yen each. Fox News reports the price at approximately $3.50 to $4.70 per animal.
Some of those animals can be considerably more valuable after reaching Japan. Mexican alligator lizards are scarce in the country and can reportedly sell for around 100,000 yen, or roughly $630 each, according to The Japan Times.
Japan Plays A Major Role In The Global Reptile Trade
The case comes amid broader concerns about international reptile trade. In a 2025 report, WWF Japan examined nine reptile species commonly seen in the country’s pet market and found evidence of illegal trade with animals appearing for sale without the proper corresponding import records.
WWF Japan found that the country ranked among the world’s five largest importers for six of the nine reptile species it studied. Japan was also the second-largest importer for four of those species.
The organization called for stronger checks on imports of species protected under CITES, and greater transparency in the reptile trade overall. WWF Japan conservation officer Kay Wakao said the country’s reptile pet market has grown for over a decade, raising concerns about whether every animal is truly being traded legally and sustainably.