Smugglers have been known to illegally traffic exotic animals in airports, but this Chinese couple may have had the most bizarre case yet.
Security personnel at southern Guangdong鈥檚 Baiyun International Airport聽in China were left flabbergasted, after two elderly passengers鈥� luggage was discovered to have contained hundreds of live cockroaches.
According to Kankan 黑料社, as relayed by BBC 黑料社, officials managing the x-ray machine noticed unusual movement inside the couples鈥� bags last week.
鈥淭here was a white plastic bag with lots of black items moving inside,鈥� Xu Yuyu, a security guard at the scene, told the news outlet.
鈥淥ne of the staff opened their luggage and a roach crawled out of it. She almost cried,鈥� Xu shared.
When questioned by authorities, the unidentified husband claimed that the roaches were used to make an ointment to cure his wife鈥檚 skin condition.
鈥淭hey were part of an old folk remedy. You mix the roaches in some medicinal cream and put it on your skin,鈥� 聽Beijing Youth Daily quoted the man.
Baiyun International Airport, meanwhile, clarified that living organisms are not permitted to be carried on flight in hand luggage.
The couple was permitted to resume their flight, but had to surrender the creepy crawlies to airport officials.
It remained unclear as to what happened to the roaches. Khristian Ibarrola /ra