TOKYO – A pet shop owner in Tokyo was arrested for allegedly smuggling multiple birds and mangosteen fruits into Japan from Thailand, local police said Friday.
Masayuki Sekiguchi, 69, is suspected of violating the infectious diseases control law and the plant quarantine law, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. He was arrested on Wednesday and has admitted to the allegations.
He “wanted to breed the birds as they were pretty and adorable,” and brought the mangosteens “as gifts because they taste good,” he was quoted as telling police.
The pet shop owner is believed to have smuggled seven birds and 33 mangosteens in a suitcase and tote bag in a flight from Thailand to Tokyo’s Haneda airport last August.
The birds of four different species, including the Pacific parrotlet, require permission from the Japanese government to import due to being potential carriers of bird flu.
Fresh mangosteens from Thailand, excluding those produced at designated farms and meeting the government’s quality standard, are barred as they may be carrying bugs.
The birds, which were placed in a cardboard box for alcohol, were found when customs officials became suspicious of the weight of the container.
Sekiguchi is reported by the customs to have said the birds could be “thrown away if they are not allowed,” according to the police.
