2 men suspected of smuggling exotic lizards into Japan

Two men were referred to prosecutors Tuesday on suspicion of smuggling into Japan two rare perentie lizards, a protected species under the Washington Convention, police said.A 36-year-old pet shop owner from Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, and another man allegedly conspired to import the lizards, a male and female, on commercial airplanes from Hong Kong to Narita airport near Tokyo in 2017 and 2018, police said.
Four other men aged between 27 and 59, including the two purchasers of the reptiles, were also referred to prosecutors for allegedly engaging in the transactions despite being aware th…READ FULL ARTICLE