Two women have been jailed for attempting to smuggle 13 endangered iguanas through Heathrow Airport - by concealing them inside socks.
Romanian nationals Angla-Alina Bita, 26, and Vitora-Oliva Busca, 24, were arrested after Border Force officers carried out checks at Heathrow Terminal five on February 3.
Isleworth Crown Court heard the pair arrived on a flight from the Bahamas and were due to fly on to Düsseldorf, Germany.
The iguanas were wrapped in individual socks and stuffed into a suitcase. One of the reptiles died during the journey.
They were found to be extremely dehydrated and have since been given specialist care by experts in the UK, with the aim to return them to their natural habitat in the Caribbean.
The creatures were later identified as San Salvador rock iguanas – a species so rare only a few are known to be in existence.
The rare species is controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Bita and Busca were charged with illegal importation and pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court.
They were sentenced to 12 months in prison each today.
Grant Miller, head of the Border Force CITES team, said: “The rarity of this particular species made this an incredibly significant seizure. The iguanas are critically endangered and in effect priceless.
“This makes it all the more shocking that someone was willing to take them from their habitat and transport them halfway around the world in these kinds of conditions.
“We are now working with the Bahamian authorities to try to return them to where they belong.”
Sarah Goddard, species policy officer for WWF-UK, said: “At a time that criminal gangs are threatening the very future existence of some of our most precious animals, it is good to see UK authorities clamping down on the traffickers posing a serious threat to the survival of endangered species such as these iguanas.”
