Customs officials seize dead primate, elephant meat at LAX

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A dead primate, nearly half a pound of elephant meat and 387 snake, lizard and crocodile skin handbags are among the illegal items seized in recent days at Los Angeles International Airport, Customs officials reported today.

The handbags were seized on May 6 during a baggage inspection for a 31-year-old man arriving on a flight from Nigeria, said Lee Harty of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The elephant meat and the primate were seized on May 9 and May 10, respectively, at the International Mail Facility.

All seized items were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.