A German man was detained by Polish customs officials for smuggling after his recreational vehicle was discovered to contain a unusual cargo of rare Russian leeches, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.
Polish customs officials detained the man at the country's border with Kaliningrad, Russia's Baltic exclave, after an inspection of the vehicle revealed 100 leeches being transported in jars of liquid, Interfax reported.
Experts determined that the leeches were of a rare kind used for medicinal purposes and were protected under EU law, the report said.
The German, who claimed he had bought the leeches at a pharmacy in Kaliningrad for personal medical use, is now the subject of a criminal investigation, Interfax reported.
The confiscated leeches will be taken to a zoo in the Polish city of Zamosc, the news agency cited customs officials as saying.
