14 DAY TRIAL // Some people travel with the weirdest of things in their luggage and, were it not for customs officials, us ordinary folks would forever remain in the dark about the latest trends when it comes to wacky souvenirs from trips abroad and odd personal belongings.
Folks at NBC New York have recently had a chat with staff at the Washington Dulles International Airport in the United States, who proved cool enough to share some stories about their latest discoveries while luggage diving.
Apparently, several downright bizarre items have been confiscated from the bags of people trying to enter the country over the past few months. Some of these items are so creepy most people would not even touch them, let alone pack them in their suitcases.
Not to keep you in suspense any longer, these items include a necklace made of primate teeth, a primate skull, and dead bats, shrews, rats, mice, mongoose, and dormice, the United States Customs and Border Protection told the publication.
By the looks of it, the mandrill teeth necklace confiscated and subsequently destroyed by customs officials for fear that it could bring potentially deadly viruses to the country belonged to a man from Gabon, Africa, who claimed to be a voodoo priest.
When asked what purpose his odd necklace served, the man, whose identity has not yet been shared with the public, explained that the peculiar piece of jewelry helped him perform various spiritual rituals. Despite its magical character, the necklace did not put up a fight when destroyed.
The primate skull, on the other hand, was the property of a woman traveling to the United States all the way from Russia. This skull too was unlike any of the ones on display at museums and similar facilities. Thus, it was adorned with feathers, and the woman argued that it was a token of good luck.
As far as the dead bats, shrews, rats, mice, and mongoose are concerned, officials say that they were found stacked one on top of the other inside a bucket. The man carrying the bucket claimed they were intended for research, but since he did not have any papers to prove it, was parted from them.
Customs officials say that, as surprising as this may sound, cases of people traveling with odd and potentially dangerous things in their luggage are not exactly few and far between. However, the good news is that, most of the time, it's your average meats and fruits that are confiscated at airports.