‘Giant’ six-legged pests disguised as Japanese snacks found at LA airport, officials say
Several packages of Japanese snacks shipped to the Los Angeles International Airport had more than just potato chips and chocolate, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
When Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists took a closer look, they found “giant” six-legged pests inside the packages, the agency said in a Feb. 5 news release.
Thirty-seven beetles, measuring about 4 to 5 inches in length, were counted in the shipments that arrived from Japan in January, according to Customs and Border Protection.
The insects can be potentially harmful, the agency said.
“They may look harmless but in reality, smuggled beetles pose a significant threat to our vital agriculture resources,” Cheryl M. Davies, Customs and Border Protection’s director of field operations in Los Angeles, said in a statement.
“Beetles can become a serious pest by eating plants, leaves, and roots and by laying eggs on tree bark which damages our forests.”
Beetles and other exotic bugs are desirable to collectors and insect enthusiasts, Customs and Border Protection explained.
It’s illegal to bring them into the U.S. without a proper permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Plant Protection and Quarantine organization, according to officials.
A letter from Plant Protection and Quarantine’s Plants, Pathogens and Biocontrol unit could also allow someone to import live insects, Customs and Border Protection said.
On the East Coast, a similar discovery was made at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, according to the agency.
Inside a package from Japan, agency specialists found six live beetles hidden in food packages on Jan. 16, the agency’s Office of Field Operations said in a Feb. 3 news release.
“The prohibited insects were seized and destroyed,” officials said.
The beetles found at LAX were given to U.S. Department of Agriculture officials, who might donate them to local zoos or preserve the insects, according to officials.
The insects were estimated to be worth $1,480, Customs and Border Protection said.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 2:20 PM with the headline "‘Giant’ six-legged pests disguised as Japanese snacks found at LA airport, officials say."
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