If you travel often you know there are strict regulations when crossing international borders. Despite these regulations, many people still try to smuggle strange, unusual and illegal items through customs.

When the average person arrives at the airport and checks their carry-on, only to realize their perfume, hand sanitizer or whatever other liquid over 100ml, they toss it in a plastic bag with the rest of their liquids, hoping it will be smuggled through customs. Only it ends up getting spotted by the diligent security personnel, confiscated and they give a stern reminder.

In the following infographic, compiled by MyOffers, they list 20 insane items that people have tried to smuggle through customs around the world. They include everything from exotic animals to a human head to explosives. Take a look:

20 insane items smuggled through customs

A tiger cub

Travelling from Bangkok to Iran
Customs agents discovered a sedated two-month-old tiger cub in a suitcase full of stuffed animals and toys when it went through an X-ray scan at Bangkok airport in Thailand in 2010. A 31-year-old woman was attempting to smuggle the cub and sell it on the Iranian market.

A cast of cocaine

Travelling from Chile to Barcelona
A 66-year-old was wearing a cast on his leg because of two fractures below his knee. While the man had actually broken his leg in case authorities X-rayed it, the cast was made out of cocaine. He might’ve gotten away with it if he hadn’t tried to smuggle more cocaine in his suitcase.

A corpse

Travelling from Manchester to Berlin
A woman and her daughter were arrested when customs discovered that the woman’s 91-year-old wheelchair-bound husband was actually dead. In an attempt to fool customs they covered his eyes with sunglasses and said they believed he was asleep. Ultimately the pair were arrested at Manchester airport but not charged. Talk about a Weekend at Bernie’s.

A human head

Travelling from Haiti to Florida
Customs officers found more than they expected in Florida; a head complete with hair, teeth and skin to keep away evil spirits in line with voodoo beliefs. A woman was charged with smuggling the head into the US, but her sentence was reduced to a two year probation period.

Monkeys in a man’s trousers

Travelling from Thailand to Los Angeles
LA customs officers opened a man’s bag in 2012 after he returned from Thailand, causing a tropical bird to fly out. In the end they found three more birds, 50 rare orchids and two pygmy monkeys carried in his trousers. The man received a 57-day jail sentence, while the monkeys were taken to LA Zoo.

A crocodile

Internal flight in the Democratic Republic of Congo
One smuggler was successful in boarding a small propeller plane with a crocodile in his bag. Unfortunately, it crawled out, causing the crew and passengers to move to the front of the plane. The redistribution of weight caused the pilot to lose control and the plane crashed killing 20 of the 21 people passengers.

Another identity

Travelling from Hong Kong to Canada
An elderly man boarded a plane in Hong Kong, only to emerge in Canada as a young asian male. Using a silicone face and neck mask to disguise himself as an older caucasian passenger, the man went to the toilet during the flight and returned as a much younger man. He was later arrested by authorities.

A woman

Travelling from Mexico to the US-Mexico Border
In 2013, a 48-year-old woman was discovered in a suitcase by US customs officers. The woman, originally from Thailand, was hoping to be smuggled across the US-Mexico Border in a suitcase located in the front trunk of a car, after previously being deported.

A chainsaw

Internal flight in New York
In 2012, a chainsaw was taken through New York customs, pre-filled with gas. More surprisingly, the owner was eventually able to board the plane with the chainsaw, but without the gas which was confiscated.

A rocket launcher

Internal flight in New York
A rocket launcher was found in a checked bag at an airport in 2012. Apparently, the rocket launcher had been expended and posed no threat. While it may have been safe, it obviously caused quite a commotion for customs officers!

Texan-style armadillo

Travelling from Texas to Australia
In 2004, in true Texas style, a cowboy-dressed, gun-toting stuffed armadillo was sent to Australia from Texas as a gift. Unfortunately, the stuffed armadillo’s journey stopped at Sydney for breaching Australia’s incredibly strict importation laws.

Two $100,000 bills

Travelling from South Korea to New York
One passenger from South Korea was stopped at an airport in New York in 2009 after it emerged he was carrying two 100,000 dollar bills. The very rare notes were only printed in 1934 and never entered general circulation. It later turned out the notes were fake.

Three landmines

Travelling from New Jersey to San Francisco
Customs officers found three landmines in a woman’s baggage at an airport in New Jersey in 2012. The woman was travelling to an explosives demonstration in San Francisco, and despite her missing her first flight, she was later allowed to board another flight but without the deactivated landmines.

5-month-old baby

Travelling from Egypt to the United Arab Emirates
Two parents were caught attempting to smuggle their 5-month-old baby in their hand luggage in 2012. The baby was flagged up by X-ray scanners, after being exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. The parents had hidden the child because they lacked the correct visa and in turn were charged.

Egyptian treasures

Travelling from Spain to Miami
In 2008, a 3,000-year-old wooden Egyptian sarcophagus was seized while travelling from Spain to Miami. The head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities went to the States to save the casket and the artefact was returned to Egypt, where it had been stolen over a century earlier.

Human flesh pills

Travelling from China to South Korea
One of the more gruesome finds by South Korean customs officers have been pills filled with powdered human baby flesh. Officers seized thousands of the drug capsules, which some believe can cure disease.

A chameleon

Travelling from Dubai to Manchester
In 2002, a 17-year-old travelling from Dubai to Manchester Airport with a chameleon perched on her head. She had attempted to smuggle her pet lizard into the UK by wearing it as a hat. Unbelievably, she managed to get to Manchester where security spotted fellow passengers taking pictures of the creature.

1,000 tarantulas

Travelling from Rio de Janeiro to the United Kingdom
A London pet shop owner was stopped in Rio de Janeiro when security ran his bag through the X-ray machine and noticed inside his bag he had 1,000 boxed tarantulas. It’s thought he either brought the spiders back to sell at his store or that he had some involvement in medical poison extraction.

Horse in a dog cage

Travelling from Germany to Atlanta
When animals are smuggled through customs, it’s often the smaller species that are taken advantage of, but for this particular smuggler that didn’t seem to be the case. Customs officers were surprised when they found one of the dog cages unusually full—the reason being someone had stuffed a miniature horse inside.

Falcon eggs

Travelling from Birmingham to Dubai
A 48-year-old man tried to smuggle 14 rare Peregrine falcon eggs through Birmingham airport to hatch at a later date. The eggs were worth up to €70,000 and were to be sold to a businessman in Dubai. He was jailed for 30 months for trying to export them and for illegally stealing them from a nest in the mountains.

If you want to see more insane things smuggled through customs, follow the TSA’s Instagram account. In it they display all of the ridiculous things people try to get through customs. Yet, the TSA have barely scratches the surface of the insane things smuggled through customs around the world.

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Source: http://designtaxi.com/news/384391/Infographic-20-Insane-Items-That-Have-Been-Smuggled-Through-Airport-Customs/