Arabic version: السلطات تحذّر من تجنيد أفراد لتهريب الزواحف

According to ABC News, authorities say organised criminal syndicates are increasingly targeting international students to smuggle native Australian reptiles overseas. Dani Yannopoulos of the National EPA said global criminal networks were moving drugs, firearms and exotic animals, driven by demand for Australia’s distinctive wildlife.

Ms Yannopoulos said young people were being approached through social media and offered money to transport wildlife, sometimes without understanding the full operation. Recruiters could use people to move packages between states or to an exit point, she said, allowing criminal networks to distance themselves from lower-level activity.

Recent cases have involved attempted shipments to Hong Kong. In September, a 21-year-old man was charged with allegedly trying to send 163 native reptiles from Sydney to Hong Kong as air cargo. Last year, an international student received an 18-month prison sentence after attempting to export 15 lizards from Queensland to China, with an estimated street value of $74,207.

National EPA figures show authorities intercepted 1,048 wildlife specimens in 2025, including 343 reptiles. Shingleback and blue-tongue lizards accounted for 208 of those animals combined, while authorities also intercepted 37 pythons and 15 lace monitors. Exporting live native Australian mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians for commercial purposes is illegal under Australian law.

Adelaide University Wildlife Crime Research Hub researcher Sebastian Chekunov said individual reptiles could sell for from a few hundred dollars to more than $10,000. He said shipments often first go to Hong Kong before animals reach markets in China, Europe, the United States and Canada. Legal breeders and hobbyists said the illegal trade harms their industry’s reputation and can be difficult to detect because smugglers operate in secretive circles.