A 23-year-old Mexican man has been arrested at Tokyo's Haneda Airport after customs officers reportedly found about 200 lizards hidden inside 22 pairs of socks in his suitcase. Daniel Isaac Velasco Baltazar had arrived in Japan from South Korea on August 8 when authorities searched his luggage and discovered the reptiles, with one lizard already dead. Nine of the animals were identified as Mexican alligator lizards, also known as arboreal alligator lizards, a species native to Mexico that is classified as Endangered and listed under CITES Appendix II. Police reportedly said the suspect bought the lizards in Mexico for about 560 to 750 yen each, roughly $3.50 to $4.70, while some could reportedly fetch around 100,000 yen, or about $630, in Japan. Authorities are still identifying the remaining reptiles.
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