Handbags of Ostrich, Crocodile, Elephant Skin Seized at LAX
Kate Spade. Chanel. Hermes. Girls got to have their four-figure designer handbags these days.
CBP
But ostrich, stingray, crocodile and elephant skin purses? Maybe some ladies are taking the high-end handbag trend a little too far.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said today that they have seized seven bags made of the above illegal and endangered materials at LAX:
The seizure happened Friday after a 63-year-old woman travelling from Greece via Germany was pulled aside for a "baggage examination," according to a CBP statement.
After a tusk-like figure was found in one of three bags that belonged to the woman, she explained that it was an elephant tooth from her late uncle's estate, the CBP says.
But agents weren't having it.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials were called in, and they discovered that 15 items in the unidentified woman's bags were prohibited under the Endangered Species Act. Allegedly.
You mean you can't bring crocodile purses into the United States? Guess not.
Here's what the CBP says it found:
... Seven ivory tusks, several of which were carved into statues, one hippopotamus tusk, two ostrich-skin purses, one stingray leather purse, a purse made of elephant hide, and three crocodile purses.
The lesson? Stick to department stores and well-known boutiques for all your overpriced handbag needs.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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