African Migrant Arrested for Smuggling Fried Bats into Germany

 

Authorities say that a man from the Ivory Coast, who was in Germany illegally, was arrested this week when German police discovered that he was transporting cooked bats and unrefrigerated fish. The incident occurred in Aachen, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia on the border of Belgium, on Monday morning. 

During a search of a van that had entered from Belgium, a federal police patrol found nearly 2,000 pounds of fish and boxes of fried bats stored under the unrefrigerated seafood. Suspecting that the food might be unsafe, the authorities called a veterinarian to inspect the load.

 

Upon inspection, the veterinarian immediately ordered a confiscation of the food, and the driver was taken into custody due to lack of registration and insurance. It was later discovered that he was a 31-year-old citizen of the Ivory Coast who was illegally present in Germany and driving without a license.

 

The German police explained in a press release that he was reported for road traffic offenses and illegal entry. He is also awaiting administrative offense proceedings for various violations of the law against food hygiene. The responsible office of the city region is currently checking whether he also violated the species protection law because of the fried bats.

 

The Ivorian was presented before a court in Aachen, where it was decided he would be held in preventative custody and turned over to Italian authorities, where he is reportedly registered as a resident. The food was ordered destroyed, and an investigation is ongoing.

 

Source: EU Times