Just when you thought you’ve heard it all… think again.
A suspicious man was arrested over the weekend in Mexico after he attempted to smuggle 18 small “Titi Monkeys” under his clothes at Mexico City’s international airport. Roberto Sol Cabrera, a citizen of Mexico, was taken into police custody when authorities noticed a bulge under his shirt and found the 18 monkeys after they searched his person.
Investigators grew suspicious after Roberto Sol Cabrera Zavaleta, 38, became “markedly nervous” when asked what he was transporting, Mexico’s Public Safety Department said. Two of the tiny titi monkeys he was carrying in a belt were dead, the department said in a statement, and 16 of them survived the journey from Lima, Peru. Cabrera has been detained as authorities continue their investigation, the statement said.
In an interview with authorities released by police, Cabrera said he first carried the monkeys in his suitcase, but then hid the animals in his clothes so they would not be harmed by X-ray machines at the airport. He described the animals as “pets” and told authorities he had purchased them for $30.
Titi monkeys are protected endangered species requiring a permit for possession, police said. Images released by police show the tiny creatures, many of which are tied up in pouches, squirming in a cardboard box.
Wow! Dude must have been up to some serious monkey business!
