HUANGGANG Customs seized 3,300 live Brazilian tortoises from an inbound truck that was declared to customs as empty.

    On Feb. 23, customs officials detected a strange odor when inspecting an empty truck. When they checked under the truck, they found a tank hidden under it. In the tank, a number of tortoises ranging from the size of a thumb to a palm were hidden in 30 plastic bags.

    The truck driver claimed he had carried the tortoises to earn commission.

    The tortoises have been handed to the quarantine inspection department to handle.

    (Han Ximin)