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Gecko - Source: ONE News -
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A German who tried to smuggle lizards out of New Zealand in his underwear will spend the next few months in jail and then be deported.
Hans Kurt Kubus was caught with 44 endangered geckos and skinks by New Zealand Customs officials.
All New Zealand geckos are absolutely protected under the Trade in Endangered Species Act.
Kubus has admitted he came into the country with the intention of stealing. He had custom-made pouches in his underwear to conceal the lizards.
The hand-sewn pockets contained eight separate compartments which separated the different species, room enough for 24 geckos and 20 skinks.
But when Kubus passed through customs his apparent nervousness gave him away, and a look through his luggage revealed more clues.
A night light was another clue to his nocturnal activities and the labels on his bags gave a clue to the origins of his haul - Twizel.
The geckos and skinks can be worth up to $2,000 each on the black-market.
"It does remind us there are persons out there who are willing to exploit reptiles which are native to our country," says Mark Day, Customs Investigations manager.
Kubus' defence tried to argue that he was not in the trading game, that the catch was to increase his own personal collection. But the judge did not see it that way.
"You were selective, you knew what you were after in my view," said Judge Colin Doherty, Christchurch District Court.
Kubus will now spend the next 14 weeks in prison, a sentence DOC is happy with, after which he will be deported.
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