Ewww! Shipment of Giant Millipedes Seized at SFO

Twenty squirming foot-long millipedes in a falsely labeled package from Germany were seized at San Francisco International Airport last month, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said Friday.

On July 8, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at the U.S. Postal Service International Service Center at SFO discovered the giant millipedes while inspecting “an anomaly“ in a package marked “toy car model,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection acting spokesman Fred Ho said.

This plastic foam box containing live giant millipedes was shipped from Germany.

The large package was routed through an x-ray machine and, upon further inspection, customs officials found the package consisted of a Styrofoam box ”... which when opened revealed a large mesh bag containing the foot-long millipedes, along with chunks of soil and paper.”

“Customs and Border Protection officers and agriculture specialists routinely x-ray and inspect packages arriving from foreign locations for contraband and other prohibited items before they are permitted to enter the U.S.,” said Brian J. Humphrey, CBP director of Field Operations in San Francisco. “The agriculture specialists on duty were quick to notice the deception and took the necessary action.”

The exotic bugs don’t bite and can last between four and seven years on a diet of spoiled produce. Some, however, have a poison secretion, Ho said.

The giant millipedes were likely intended as exotic pets, Ho said.

Inside this mesh bag, CBP agriculture specialists found 20 live millipedes.

While the United States allows exotic pets to enter the country, the package of giant millipedes lacked required import permits and was misrepresented in an attempt to bypass federal regulations.

The millipedes were therefore seized by customs officials before they reached their intended destination of Vista, California, Ho said.

The sender in Berlin was issued a postal violation and the bugs were euthanized in alcohol.

They are now in the possession of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, customs officials said.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.