He was traveling with 300 turtles and 77 parrots packed in a car bound for Malta: huge seizure at the port of Pozzallo

A joint operation conducted by the financiers of the Pozzallo Tenenza and the officials of the Customs and Monopolies Agency made it possible to intercept and block illicit trafficking of exotic animals within the port. During routine checks carried out near boarding the catamaran bound for Malta, the authorities stopped a Maltese citizen who was traveling in a car.

300 tortoises and 77 parrots were crammed inside the vehicle. The subsequent investigations conducted by the veterinary doctors of the ASP of Ragusa, who were promptly intervened on site, confirmed that the car was totally devoid of suitable spaces and thermoregulation systems adequate to safeguard the health of the specimens, forced to travel in conditions that caused them serious suffering.

The intervention of the CITES Team and protected species

The investigative investigations were entrusted to the CITES Operational Team of the Financial Police Company of Catania-Fontanarossa. Specialists have ascertained that 76 of the parrots transported belong to highly protected species protected by the Washington Convention on International Trade in Species of Flora and Fauna at Risk of Extinction. Specifically, the illicit cargo included specimens of Scarlet macaw, Ara chloropterus, Ara ararauna, Roseicapilla cockatoo And Dawn cockatoo. This is one of the most significant seizures ever recorded in the national territory in terms of number and value of protected specimens intercepted, confirming the danger of networks dedicated to wildlife smuggling.

@Financial Police

Reporting and fostering animals safely

The Maltese citizen responsible for the transport was referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Ragusa. The accusations made against him concern the detention of animals in conditions incompatible with their nature and producing serious suffering, in addition to the violations provided for by Law 150 of 1992 which regulates the application of the international convention in Italy.

All 377 seized animals were immediately entrusted to an amateur farm equipped with a suitable structure, which guaranteed their correct care and necessary veterinary care. The operation is part of the control activities carried out in implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding renewed in 2025 between the Financial Police and the Customs and Monopolies Agency, to protect the legal market and the ecosystem.