Crocodile head found in luggage at Italian airport

Man, who had arrived in Turin from Miami via Istanbul, under investigation for smuggling and faces fine or prison

An Italian man is facing a hefty fine or possible prison term after the dried head of a critically endangered crocodile was found in his luggage at Turin’s Caselle airport.

The man had arrived at the airport in the northern Italian city on a flight from Miami via Istanbul, the Turin unit of Italy’s financial police squad said in a statement.

The reptile’s head had been wrapped in brown paper packaging in an effort to conceal it from security checks and customs, the statement added.

It was swiftly seized by border authorities and the passenger, who was reportedly returning from a holiday, placed under investigation on allegations of smuggling a specimen belonging to a protected species.

Crocodiles are protected under the Washington Convention, a global agreement signed in 1973 to protect endangered plants and animals from the risk of international trade.

If convicted, the man faces a fine of between €20,000 and €200,000, or a prison term of six months to a year.

Police said the operation in Turin was part of a wider crackdown in Italy on the illegal wildlife trade. “The item was seized because it had been imported without the required certificate or licence,” police said.

Italy is a major transit hub for the illegal trade of exotic animals, much of it rooted in organised crime. In a report published earlier this year, the Italian branch of the WWF said animals including “tortoises, ornamental birds, tropical reptiles and even small primates are illegally traded via online channels and cross-border exchanges”. In 2025, a chimpanzee held illegally in Sicily was seized, the report said.

However, items such as dried crocodile heads are sometimes bought as souvenirs by tourists who are unaware that it is illegal to bring them home. A Canadian man was arrested at Delhi airport last year after a crocodile’s head, bought in Thailand, was found in his luggage.