Alghero, giant African snails in the baggage: dangerous for humans and devastating for the environment

Four kilos of giant African land snails were seized upon disembarkation from Alghero airport . Officials from the Customs and Monopolies Agency, serving in the territorial operational section of Alghero, together with the Guardia di Finanza soldiers of the local company, stopped and searched a passenger from Nigeria who had departed from Milan Linate.

The man kept in his luggage, inside a jute bag, the snails of the species "Achatina fulica", without a label and health certification, a species considered among the most invasive in the world. It feeds on over 500 different species of plants, so much so that it is devastating for crops and natural areas. They are also dangerous animals for humans as they carry a parasite that can trigger a form of meningitis.

The Veterinary Office for Community Compliance (Uvac) of the Ministry of Health confirmed the decision to seize the product for destruction.