Local
Man charged with smuggling beetles from Japan
By: Scott McCabe
Examiner Staff Writer
September 17, 2008
An Arlington man has been charged with smuggling large, exotic beetles into the U.S. from Japan.
Postal workers discovered the beetles after they heard scratching from inside a parcel, according to charging documents.
After an X-ray examination indicated that it contained an “undetermined animal,” postal inspectors took the box to the North Quinn Street apartment of Wenxiao Jiang, who allowed them to examine its contents. Inside were several large, exotic beetles that were individually packaged in plastic containers, including a Hercules beetle that can grow to half a foot long.
The beetles required a special permit to bring into the country because they can damage crops, spread bacteria to humans and carry foreign diseases, Smithsonian Institution entomologists told investigators.
Jiang, of Arlington, professed a “great love” for the beetles and had mail-ordered about 25 of the critters since January. He said he wanted to breed them, police said.
Postal workers discovered the beetles after they heard scratching from inside a parcel, according to charging documents.
After an X-ray examination indicated that it contained an “undetermined animal,” postal inspectors took the box to the North Quinn Street apartment of Wenxiao Jiang, who allowed them to examine its contents. Inside were several large, exotic beetles that were individually packaged in plastic containers, including a Hercules beetle that can grow to half a foot long.
The beetles required a special permit to bring into the country because they can damage crops, spread bacteria to humans and carry foreign diseases, Smithsonian Institution entomologists told investigators.
Jiang, of Arlington, professed a “great love” for the beetles and had mail-ordered about 25 of the critters since January. He said he wanted to breed them, police said.
