PROGRESO, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports it put a stop to an unusual smuggling operation at the Texas-Mexico border last week.
Officers and agriculture specialists discovered four spider monkeys hidden in a duffle bag at the Progreso International Bridge in Progreso, Texas.
CPB said that on Dec. 30, a 20-year-old woman from the U.S. arrived at the bridge and, after an initial inspection, was held for further inspection. It was then that the spider monkeys were detected.
The animals were removed from the bag and placed in an animal container. They have since been returned to Mexico.
The woman was issued an undisclosed penalty.
Spider monkeys, the agency said, are typically found in the tropical forests of Central and South America and are considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act.