SA smuggler nabbed in NZ

2007-11-09 07:14

Wellington - A South African national was convicted and fined on Friday for trying to smuggle 44 parrot eggs into New Zealand, officials said.

Customs officers found the eggs concealed in a vest under his clothing after he arrived at Auckland International Airport earlier this week, customs investigations manager Paul Campbell said. Such smuggling of bird eggs is banned as a danger to the country's native species.

Pillipus Fourie, 21, pleaded guilty and was fined NZ$20 000 (about R100 000).

"This was obviously a professionally organised shipment with the eggs cleverly concealed in (a) vest custom-made for this particular courier," Campbell said in a statement.

The eggs appeared to be from several different parrot species, he said. All 44 eggs were destroyed as required under New Zealand's Biosecurity Act.

Uncontrolled imports of eggs "poses an immense biosecurity risk to New Zealand's commercial poultry industry and native parrot species", Agriculture Ministry investigations manager Greg Reid said.

A number of diseases can be transmitted in birds' eggs and illegally imported birds, he said.

- AP