Giant millipedes confiscated at San Francisco airport

Authorities say they captured nearly two-dozen live giant millipedes inside a fake toy box at San Francisco International Airport.|
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — Authorities say they captured nearly two-dozen live giant millipedes inside a fake toy box at San Francisco International Airport.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced Friday that officers made the discovery recently while inspecting a large box mailed from Germany. The box was marked, "Toy Car Model," but an X-ray showed there was no toy inside the box.

Officers instead found 20 millipedes, each a about a foot long, wrapped in a mesh bag inside a Styrofoam box along with some dirt and paper.

Customs officials say the millipedes have been turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture because the sender did not have the proper permits. It was not clear what they were intended for.

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