Man arrested attempting to smuggle 18 titi monkeys in clothing

A Mexican citizen, arriving from Lima, Peru, has been arrested at Mexico City’s international airport for attempting to smuggle 18 small titi monkeys concealed in his clothing.

Mexican authorities have arrested Roberto Sol Cabrera, a Mexican citizen, after a random check revealed he had stashed 18 titi monkeys in a waist girdle. Police said Cabrera had been acting “nervously” and after his arrest confessed the animals had been traveling in his luggage. He removed them and hid them in his clothing “to protect them from X-rays” when going through customs, according to a BBC report. Cabrera hid the small monkeys in socks, police explained, and two of the animals had died by time of confiscation. The titi monkey is found in South America and is a protected endangered species that requires a possession permit. Cabrera said he paid $30 for each specimen while in Peru. According to estimates, monkeys like the ones confiscated can sell in Mexico for between $775 and $1,550. Traffic, an international wildlife trade monitoring network, lists the animal trafficking issue as a serious problem in Mexico. Adrian Reuter, a representative for the group, said: “The reasons are two: one, because Mexico is an important route for those who want to smuggle animals into the US, and the other, because, as in other countries of Latin America, there is a deep-rooted tradition of having wild animals as pets."