Ecuador: Custom officials discovered 185 baby turtles packed in suitcase

Customs officials in Ecuador have discovered that 185 baby turtles were packed in a suitcase being sent to the mainland from the Galapagos Islands on Sunday.

The turtles were wrapped in plastic and were found during a routine inspection at the main airport on the island of Baltra. Ten of them were killed, officials said.

One of the biggest threats to Galápagos is the illegal trade of turles for animal collectors and exotic pet markets.

The turtles seized by the airport in Baltra are believed to be less than three months old.

Wildlife officials say clay expansion youths could fetch more than $5,000 per animal.

It is believed that the smugglers wrapped the turtles in plastic to immobilize them, but the X-ray machine's operator at the airport nevertheless became suspicious.

The suitcase was posted by a transport company at the airport and was allegedly containing 'souvenirs', according to a statement from the airport.

No arrests have been made so far, but employees of the transport company who checked in the suitcase were detained for questioning, according to the statement.

Ecuador's environment minister Marcelo Mata described the incident as a crime against the country's wild fauna and natural heritage.

Many plants and animals found on the Galápagos are unique to the islands, which lie about 1,000 km off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean.

Among the most famous are the Galápagos giant tortoises, which probably arrived on the volcanic islands between three and four million years ago.

The sentence for smuggling animals from the Galápagos is one to three years in prison.