Giant millipedes seized at San Francisco airport

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs officials at San Francisco International Airport found 20 giant millipedes, each measuring about a foot long, hidden in a package from Germany.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a statement saying agriculture specialists with the department "were quick to notice the deception" when the package labeled "toy car model" arrived at the U.S. Postal Service International Service Center at the airport last week.

Officials said the millipedes were concealed within a mesh bag inside the box, among large chunks of soil and paper.

The package was seized by the Agriculture Department's smuggling interdiction office because the millipedes were not accompanied by the required import permits and appeared to have been intentionally packaged to deceive federal regulators.