Panama Detains Macaw Egg Smugglers

(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) Panama detained three Taiwanese men suspected of trying to smuggle 240 eggs of the protected macaw species earlier this year.

The media reported that three Asians had been detained at Tocumen International Airport after the eggs were found in their luggage. The passengers were on their way from Nicaragua to Taiwan.

The representative office in Colombia later confirmed the suspects were Taiwan citizens. The authorities in Panama were investigating whether the three men had broken laws pertaining to smuggling, the protection of endangered animals, and forest wildlife.

The foreign ministry called on travelers to respect the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as well as local regulations about the transport of protected animals.

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