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Thousands of caterpillars seized at UK airport

Published: March 1, 2013 Comment on this article

LONDON (AP) — British customs agents made a creepy discovery when an airline passenger was found with 94 kilograms (207 pounds) of caterpillars in his luggage.

photo - In this undated photo released on Friday March 1, 2013 by the UK Border Agency, an official shows the seizure of dried caterpillars at Gatwick airport, England. British customs agents made a creepy discovery when an airline passenger was found with 94 kilograms (207 pounds) of caterpillars in his luggage. The man claimed the insects were intended as food for personal consumption. The U.K. Border Force said Friday that inspectors at London's Gatwick Airport found the dried caterpillars shrink-wrapped in cellophane and packed into hessian bags carried by a passenger travelling from Burkina Faso via Istanbul. (AP Photo/UK Border Agency)

In this undated photo released on Friday March 1, 2013 by the UK Border Agency, an official shows the seizure of dried caterpillars at Gatwick airport, England. British customs agents made a creepy discovery when an airline passenger was found with 94 kilograms (207 pounds) of caterpillars in his luggage. The man claimed the insects were intended as food for personal consumption. The U.K. Border Force said Friday that inspectors at London's Gatwick Airport found the dried caterpillars shrink-wrapped in cellophane and packed into hessian bags carried by a passenger travelling from Burkina Faso via Istanbul. (AP Photo/UK Border Agency)

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The man claimed they were intended as food for personal consumption.

The U.K. Border Force said Friday that inspectors at London's Gatwick Airport found the dried caterpillars shrink-wrapped in cellophane and packed into hessian bags carried by a passenger travelling from Burkina Faso via Istanbul.

The caterpillars were seized by authorities after the Feb. 23 find because they breached restrictions on importing animal products. The 22-year-old passenger was let off with a warning.

Border Force spokeswoman Ingrid Smith said "the vigilance of our officers has stopped these dried insects from entering the U.K., and possibly posing a risk to our food chain."